📜 Mission A · The Hidden History
What gets left out when a country tells its own story?
📖 Background briefing
1788: When the British established a colony at Sydney Cove, they treated the land as terra nullius — "land belonging to no one." In reality, the continent was home to hundreds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nations, each with its own language, laws, and connection to Country going back tens of thousands of years. "Terra nullius" wasn't discovered to be legally false until a High Court case in 1992.
The Stolen Generations: From roughly 1910 to 1970, Australian governments removed many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, often permanently, as part of official policy. A 1997 government report called Bringing Them Home documented this. In 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered a formal, nationally broadcast apology to the Stolen Generations.
Today: Before 1788, an estimated 250+ distinct Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages were spoken across the continent; many are now endangered, and communities are working to revive them. In 2017, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander delegates published the Uluru Statement from the Heart, calling for "Voice, Treaty, Truth" — a constitutionally protected voice in Parliament, agreement-making (treaty), and a formal process of truth-telling about this history.
The Aboriginal flag
Designed by Harold Thomas in 1971. Black represents the people, red the land and their spiritual relationship to it, yellow the sun.
Dot-painting
A style used by many Aboriginal artists to represent Country, stories, and the connection to land — passed down over generations.
Why is the idea of "terra nullius" controversial? Use your own words.
What were the Stolen Generations, and why are 1997 and 2008 important dates?
What does the Uluru Statement from the Heart ask for?
🎙️ Build your product: podcast script
Your team is producing a 1–2 minute segment for the mission's podcast, titled "History They Didn't Put on the Postcard." Write the script. It must include three things:
- A fact from above. Pick one thing you learned in the briefing. Finish this sentence yourself: "Terra nullius meant the British treated Australia as empty land — even though …"
- A sentence that gives Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people a voice in your script. Not just facts about them — something that sounds like it comes from their side of the story. Finish this sentence yourself: "For us, this was never empty land. It was …"
- A link to today. Say how this history still matters now. Finish this sentence yourself: "That's why, in 2017, Indigenous leaders …"
Submit your mission
Enter your name and class, then submit. Bring your script to Phase 4 for the class showcase.
Nicely done
Your podcast script is saved. Head to the Critical Thinking Lab once all teams have finished Phase 2.