Makers of Modern Australia is a documentary film which premiered on Australian television (ABC) in 2023.
Four episodes cover four different aspects of Australian history since 1901:
# 1. Leaders
# 2. Innovators
# 3. Rebels
# 4. Artists
Within each episode, the story follows a chronological line from around 1901 until the present time.
In my opinion, it is a great idea to focus on four different angles of Australian history instead of trying to cover everything in one long chronological account.
As far as I can tell, each episode is well-done. What they say here is true. I did not notice any mistakes. In my opinion, the presentation is accurate and balanced.
Does this mean that this film can get a rating of five stars (100 percent)?
The answer to this question is no. This film cannot get a rating of five stars.
Why not?
What is wrong?
This film is flawed. Not because of what is covered, but because of what is not covered.
While this film is accurate and balanced, it is not comprehensive.
I do not want to complain about mistakes. I want to complain about omissions.
What is missing? Here are some examples of what is missing from a comprehensive account of Australian history since 1901.
Most items on the following list are connected with foreign policy, but the first item is connected with domestic policy.
# 1. The Stolen Generation
Aboriginals are mentioned more than once, but the policy of removing aboriginal children from their parents is never mentioned in this film. This policy was applied for several decades (1905-1970).
In February 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd gave a public speech in which he offered an official apology for this violation of human rights.
His apology was adopted unanimously by the House of Representatives, although six members of the opposition left the House in order to protest against the apology.
Later the same day his apology was adopted by the Senate. The motion was passed unanimously.
The term “the stolen generation” is never mentioned in this film. The official apology offered in 2008 by Kevin Rudd is not shown in this film.
# 2. British Testing of Atomic Bombs in Australia
Shortly after the end of World War II, the UK began to test atomic bombs on Australian territory. Three locations were used:
** The Montebello Islands, which are located off the western coast of Australia
** Emu Field, South Australia
** Maralinga, South Australia
The time frame is 1952-1963
Since this happened in Australia, this project can be described as a part of domestic policy.
Since atomic weapons are developed and tested with a view to military defence, this project can also be described as a part of foreign policy.
The testing of atomic weapons in three different locations for more than a decade is never mentioned in this film.
# 3. Australia in World War One
During World War One, Australia and New Zealand were active supporters of the Entente, which included the UK, France, and Imperial Russia.
In 1914, Australia and New Zealand formed a common military force known as ANZAC. The letters stand for Australia and New Zealand Army Corps.
ANZAC forces were involved in the Gallipoli campaign which began on 25 April 1915. The campaign lasted until the beginning of 1916 when it was abandoned.
The Gallipoli campaign was a military disaster for the allied forces, including the ANZAC forces.
The only successful part of this campaign was the evacuation from the Gallipoli peninsula which began in December 1915 and ended in January 1916.
The day on which the invasion began (25 April) is known as ANZAC day. This date was marked for the first time in April 1916. It is still an important date which is marked in Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, and many other locations.
Neither the Gallipoli campaign of 1915 nor ANZAC day is mentioned in this film.
# 4. Australia in World War II
During World War II, Australia and New Zealand were active supporters of the Allies which included the UK, France, and later the US and the USSR.
In February 1942, many soldiers from allied powers (including Australia and New Zealand) became prisoners of war when Singapore capitulated to Japanese forces.
During the war, many of these soldiers were transported to Thailand where they were forced to work on the Burma-Thailand Railway, aka the Railway of Death, which was built in order to have a railway connection between Thailand and Burma.
On or near 25 April 1943, Japanese guards ordered the POWs to begin work on a section of the railway which became known as Hell Fire Pass.
The workers were ordered to cut a path through a mountain. The Japanese were in a hurry. The workers were forced to work in a day shift and a night shift.
During the night, when fires were burning to light up the area, this place looked like hell on earth. The prisoners of war named it Hell Fire Pass.
Some of the POWs were from Australia and New Zealand.
By a strange coincidence, the construction of this section of the railway began on or near 25 April. The same date as the beginning of the Gallipoli campaign during World War One.
Since World War II, ANZAC day is marked to remember two occasions: the Gallipoli invasion in 1915 and the construction of Hell Fire Pass in 1943.
Neither the fall of Singapore in February 1942 nor the building of the Railway of Death in 1943 is mentioned in this film.
# 5. Australia and the Vietnam War
During the Cold War (1945-1990), Australia sided with the UK, the US, and France.
In 1954, when France was defeated by Vietnamese forces at Dien Bien Phu, the US decided to take to the role of France.
The US was, in fact, already involved in this conflict. Since 1950, the US had offered a substantial economic support for the French war, but this was not enough to save the French side.
In 1954, the US entered Vietnam. At first, only with military advisors. But before long, also with regular troops. The US supported South Vietnam in a war against North Vietnam.
When the US government invited Australia to join this war, the Australian government gave a positive response.
At first, the Australian contribution was limited to military advisors, but before long, regular troops were also shipped to Vietnam.
Australia was involved in the Vietnam War for more than a decade (1962-1973).
A total of 60,000 Australian troops were active in the Vietnam War. More than 500 lives were lost. And a much higher number of troops suffered physical and mental wounds.
Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War is never mentioned in this film.
# 6. Australia and East Timor
The former Portuguese colony East Timor is not far from Australia. The distance between Darwin and East Timor is less than 700 km.
Australia has been directly and indirectly involved with East Timor on several occasions since World War II.
(a) During World War II, a regiment of Australian troops was shipped to East Timor in order to oppose a Japanese move towards Australia.
Portugal was neutral during World War II and Japan respected this position. Japan never attacked the Portuguese colony Macau.
What about East Timor?
Since Australian troops were stationed in East Timor, Japan did not regard East Timor as neutral territory.
East Timor was drawn into the conflict because Australian troops were there. Many East Timorese were killed while they tried to assist the Australian troops that were there.
After the war, many Australians who knew about this fact were grateful. They said Australia owed East Timor a huge debt, because the local people had helped the Australian troops oppose the Japanese move towards Australia, even though it was dangerous for them.
(b) In 1974 and 1975, East Timor was in a process of decolonization. The people of East Timor wanted to establish an independent country.
But Indonesia was opposed to this desire. Indonesia, which already had West Timor, wanted to take over the eastern half of the island.
In this difficult moment, the Australian government did not remember the huge debt it owed to East Timor. In this difficult moment, the Australian government sided with Indonesia.
(c) In December 1975, Indonesia launched a full-scale invasion of East Timor.
It was the beginning of a brutal and illegal occupation which lasted more than twenty years and which caused death and destruction for East Timor.
During this time, Australia sided with the aggressor Indonesia.
Australia did not seem to care much about the East Timorese people who had supported Australian troops during World War II and who had paid a high price for doing this.
(d) In 1998, Indonesia’s leader Suharto was forced to retire. In 1999, Indonesia had to give up its illegal occupation of East Timor. But pro-Indonesian militias tried desperately to stop the Indonesian withdrawal. They created a chaotic situation.
The UN Security Council called for the establishment of a multinational peace-keeping force which could take control of the former Portuguese colony for a limited time.
Australia offered to create and lead such a multinational peacekeeping force.
The multinational force created by Australia controlled the territory from 1999 to 2000, when it was replaced by a UN peacekeeping force, which controlled the territory from 2000 until 2002.
In 2002, East Timor was proclaimed an independent country which was accepted as a member of the United Nations.
(e) In 2004, only two tears after independence had been established, Australia and East Timor began negotiations about the exploitation of natural resources (oil and gas) in the ocean between the two countries.
Negotiations were slow and difficult. It was later revealed that Australia did not act as an honest broker.
Before negotiations began, Australia sent a secret agent to Dili, the capital of East Timor. The secret agent installed bugging devices in the office of East Timor’s president.
The purpose of the secret operation was to discover what the East Timorese said behind closed doors. Australia wanted to know how much pressure they could put on East Timor.
Negotiations were concluded in 2006.
In 2012, the secret agent blew the whistle. The secret agent revealed that Australia had bugged the office of East Timor’s president, hoping to gain an advantage during the negotiations.
The East Timorese were very disappointed when they learned how Australia had tried to betray them.
They said they wanted to re-negotiate the deal that was made in 2006.
The identity of the whistleblower has never been revealed. The secret agent is known as Witness K. When the story broke, the secret operation which took place in East Timor had serious consequences in Australia.
The Australian government decided to charge not only Witness K but also his lawyer Bernard Collaery with breaking the law.
This case was considered in the legal system for several years. It did not end until 2022, when a new attorney general finally decided to drop the charges.
Australia’s deep involvement in the recent history of East Timor is never mentioned in this film.
Conclusion
The first case – the stolen generation – could and should have been included in the third episode about rebels. Several aboriginal leaders protested against the government policy of removing children from their parents.
The other cases which are mentioned here are connected with foreign policy. It would not be easy to fit these cases into one of the four episodes.
How to deal with this problem?
The solution is simple:
The filmmakers could and should have created a fifth episode about the makers of Australia’s foreign policy since 1901.
It is a shame they failed to do this. It is a shame they did not feel the need to cover this vital aspect of modern Australia.
Modern Australia is not only the product of domestic affairs. It is also the product of foreign affairs, because foreign affairs often have a huge impact on domestic affairs. Obvious examples are World War One, World War Two and the Vietnam War.
This film is accurate and balanced, as far as it goes. But it does not go far enough. It is not comprehensive.
One significant angle is missing:
Foreign policy
** Who were the makers of Australia’s foreign policy since 1901?
** What did they do?
** What actions did they take?
** How did they deal with the problems Australia had to face?
** What kind of impact did foreign affairs have on domestic affairs?
This film has no answer to these questions. It is a flaw which cannot be ignored.
I have to remove one star because of this flaw. This film deserves a rating of four stars (80 percent).
REFERENCES
# 1. The stolen generation
First Australians:
The Untold Story of Australia
A documentary film which premiered on Australian television (SBS) in 2008
There are seven episodes
# 2. British nuclear testing in Australia
Maralinga Tjarutja
A documentary film which premiered on Australian television (ABC) in 2020
# 3. Australia in World War One
Deadline Gallipoli
A historical drama which premiered in 2015
There are two episodes
The Many Days of ANZAC
A documentary film which premiered on Australian television (ABC) in 2022
# 4. Australia in World War Two
Please visit the ANZAC Portal which has special sections about:
** Hell Fire Pass Interpretative Centre
# 5. Australia and the Vietnam War
Our Vietnam War
A documentary film which premiered on Australian television (ABC) in 2023
There are three episodes
# 6. Australia and East Timor
Drawing the Line
A documentary film which premiered on Australian television (ABC) on 17 March 2014. It is an episode of the long-running program Four Corners.
Crossing the Line:
Australia’s Secret History in the Timor Sea
By Kim McGrath
2017
Secrets, Spies and Trials
A documentary film which premiered on Australian television (ABC) on 26 August 2019. It is an episode of the long-running program Four Corners
Oil Under Troubled Water:
Australia’s Timor Sea Intrigue
By Bernard Collaery
2020
A Narrative of Denial:
Australia and the Indonesian Violation of East Timor
By Peter Job
2021
Elizabeth Byrne,
"ACT Supreme Court formally ends prosecution of Canberra lawyer Bernard Collaery,"
ABC News, 8 July 2022
Tiffanie Turnbull,
"Bernard Collaery: The spy case that ignited an Australian secrecy row,"
BBC News, 14 July 2022
*****
First Australians:
The Untold Story of Australia
A documentary film which premiered on
Australian television (SBS) in
2008
*****
Maralinga Tjarutja
A documentarful film which premiered on
Australian television (ABC) in
2020
*****
Our Vietnam War
A documentary film which premiered on
Australian television (ABC) in
2023
*****
Crossing the Line:
Australia's Secret History in the Timor Sea
by Kim McGrath
(2017)
*****
Oil Under Troubled Water:
Australia's Timor Sea Intrigue
by Bernard Collaery
(2020)
*****
A Narrative of Denial
Australia and the Indonesian
Violation of East Timor
by Peter Job
(2021)
*****
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