Senator’s umbrage at genocide lessons
Andrew Trounson; 9/10/08
There was a sharp outbreak of the history wars at a Senate inquiry in Melbourne yesterday as a Liberal MP and a secondary school teacher clashed over whether Aborigines suffered genocide and whether a freedom fighter could be a mass killer. At the inquiry, into academic freedom and bias, outraged Queensland Liberal senator Brett Mason seized on comments by Australian Secondary Principals Association national president Andrew Blair that genocide against Aborigines was a reality and should be taught. Speaking over Mr Blair as he sought to expand his comments, Senator Mason accused him of advocating biased teaching because the issue of genocide was contested by some historians. Mr Blair eventually said that although he believed that Aborigines had been victims of genocide, he agreed that the issue of genocide was contestable and in such circumstances it was incumbent on teachers also to teach the alternative view. “That is one of (history’s) beauties, to look at history through different lenses, and I think that is what schools should do,” Mr Blair said.
See: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24468431-5013404,00.html
Tags: Aboriginal, Australia, Reconciliation