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Professor Mary Kalantzis from
RMIT University presents a paper exposing the black holes that still exist
in Australia's history.
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Professor
Mary Kalantzis
Dean of the
Faculty of Education,
Language and
Community Services
RMIT University,
Australia
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"At that moment (1901) we said
we were going to be a fair and equal society and egalitarianism was at
the core of it - but it was only for some people not for others - only
for those who were going to be white and British."
Mary Kalantzis talks about the
history of the past one hundred years of Australia, the history that isn't
taught and consequently is hidden. It compels to agree, we do not
know our own history and the profound difference that constitutes
to the reality of today.
"It's the same modern ideology
(as Nazi Germany) about people who could survive, people who were superior,
and people who were inferior. In 1901 we decided that Aboriginal people
weren't human, because we didn't count them as humans, and what we decided
we needed to do after that is to segregate them in similar kind of ways.
"Alfred Deakin said, "We do
not want any admixture of race - the motivation for Federation was no admixture
of race - one people one nation one culture". That's what he said.
"Why don't we face up to that."
"What we've done in the past
fifty years is an extraordinary story - we've done it together - aborigines,
none aborigines, immigrants - women, women weren't even included in 1901.
It's a terrific story. But 1901 is not the moment that will give us anything
to be proud of - it's what we've done since
despite 1901."
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