#tonesversionofstrayanhistory — Public Fediverse posts

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#Auspol #TonyAbbott #TonesVersionOfStrayanHistory
#AssimilationPolicy

Book review by Jane Lydon, Chair of Australian History at The University of Western Australia,

continued…

“As a political history, perhaps it is not surprising there are few if any “great women” in Abbott’s account. Nor that the impact of his “great men’s” policies upon others generally remains unexamined.
Thus the idealistic, rights-informed vision for Aboriginal assimilation devised by Paul Hasluck, Menzies’ Minister for Territories, is fairly set out. Yet the impact of child removal upon Aboriginal families is downplayed.”
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imo the assimilation policy formalised in 1961** is admittedly miles better than the foul ideas it sought to replace, but is nonetheless still deeply flawed — indeed, the policy of assimilation reads exactly like the traditional white (male) view abbott fans would cling to:

people-strictly-the-same-as-us are great, people-not-the-same are shit; aren’t we kind to help them be more like us?

**”The policy of assimilation means in the view of all Australian governments that all aborigines and part-aborigines are expected eventually to attain the same manner of living as other Australians and to live as members of a single Australian community enjoying the same rights and privileges, accepting the same responsibilities, observing the same customs and influenced by the same beliefs, hopes and loyalties as other Australians. Thus, any special measures taken for aborigines and part-aborigines are regarded as temporary measures not based on colour but intended to meet the need for special care and assistance to protect them from any ill effects of sudden change and to assist them to make the transition from one stage to another in such a way as will be favourable to their future social, economic and political advancement.”

https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/life/entertainment/books/2025/11/04/tony-abbott-history-of-australia

#Auspol #TonyAbbott #TonesVersionOfStrayanHistory
Book review by Jane Lydon, Chair of Australian History at The University of Western Australia,

The title of this book review sets the tone;

“Tony Abbott’s history of Australia wants us to be proud of men like him”

(a line from a George Formby song comes to mind… “if women like men like men like those, why don’t women like me?”)

i would rather eat cooked oatmeal — which triggers my gag reflex — than read a book by tony abbott, but i’m happy to read a well written argument about why i shouldn’t read this book …

Lydon begins her review with

“Abbott’s aim is to restore national pride by showing that our past was “far more good than bad”.”

and concludes “But we do not live in an equal, “colourblind” society. Many inequalities in the present are the outcome of the structural nature of colonial violence, the Stolen Generations and Indigenous pain. Abbott’s partial history precludes recognition of these links.”

…”Abbott never spells out exactly why we should feel national pride. I assume on one level he sees it as the basis for unity. Nor does he question whether “pride” is necessarily an outcome of being “the best” or having a “good” history…

…”For some of us, confronting our unequal past is no cause for shame or pessimism. On the contrary, truth telling and recognition of diverse views seem necessary for a united future…”
—-
sounds like the book is a cherry picked summary of already biased views of history, and Abbott believes Straya is a great place BECAUSE (here insert the usual white british male delusions about the civilising influences of empire)
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