First Nations Resources

In 1788, the first white settlers arrived in Botany Bay to begin the process of white colonisation of Australia. But in Babakiueria, the roles are reversed in a delightful and light-hearted look at colonisation of a different kind. This satirical examination of black-white relations in Australia first screened on ABC TV in 1986 to widespread acclaim with both critics and audiences alike.

The story of Gem Daniels, a nine-year-old Indigenous girl, who lives in a remote Australian town. As she copes with her mother’s unexpected death, Gem finds solace in the company of a wild emu, unwittingly connecting with her mother’s traditional totem animal.

Mystery drama set in an Australian town in 1969. Fourteen-year-old Charlie's life changes when Jasper takes his help to dispose of the body of his girlfriend, Laura. He decides to look for the murderer and falls in love with Laura's younger sister.

An intimate account of one man's journey to jail. In Richard's home of Yirrkala, like elsewhere, alcohol abuse and violence are threatening family and community life. Although his people are doing what they can, it's not enough to save Richard from himself or his community from him.

The Aboriginal story has been buried deep beneath the 247-year-old accepted Australian narrative. In OCCUPATION: NATIVE, Aboriginal filmmaker Trisha Morton-Thomas, bites back at Australian history.

Brave New Clan features six extraordinary young Australians who share what Indigenous culture means to them today in contemporary urban Australia. From the bustling streets of Sydney to the aquamarine vistas of the Torres Strait, their stories span a diverse population across the country and yet share common themes of resilience, courage, optimism and success.

This video investigates some of the major events that have shaped Australia as a nation, in particular: The First Australians, early exploration, European settlement, the gold rush, living and working conditions prior to 1900, Federation and the White Australia Policy and World War I.

Following on from Part 1: From Contact and Colonisation to the 1920s, this video looks at: The Great Depression, The Stolen Generation, World War II, 1956 Melbourne Olympics, Vietnam War, Royal commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, Mabo decision and 2000 Sydney Olympics.

This programme explores the myth of sport as the great leveller. Students will learn about the importance of sport to Indigenous people and the efforts being made to stop racism and promote healthy lifestyles.

This programme focuses specifically on the Aboriginal occupation of Australia since before the recognised beginning of world history.
Other points covered are; early visitors, traders and explorers to Australia, the arrival of the British and their impact on Aboriginal culture, the reasons for British settlement and the effects all this has had on today's Aboriginal Communities.

'The Drover's Boy' is a 'hybrid' blend of music, documentary and drama, based on a ballad by Australian bush legend and singer-songwriter, Ted Egan. The story is set in the 1920s in outback Australia, and evokes a time when it was illegal for white Australians and Aboriginal people to marry. The song, and the film, pay tribute to this form of forbidden union and the significant contribution that Aboriginal women made to the pastoral history of frontier Australia.

This programme explores early views on race and the attitudes of both black and white people. Key figures discuss the methods used to assimilate Indigenous people.

This programme looks at the many diverse new forms of music and the trail-blazers who paved the way for the new and diverse contemporary Aboriginal sounds. It looks at the early beginnings of choir and Country, to Hip Hop, Funk and Rap.

Celebrated by audiences at home and abroad, Indigenous artist Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu was one of the most important and acclaimed voices to ever come out of Australia. Blind from birth, he found purpose and meaning through songs and music inspired by his community and country on Elcho Island in far North East Arnhem Land.

Set against the stunning landscapes of 1930s Arnhem Land, 'High Ground' chronicles young Aboriginal man Gutjuk, who in a bid to save the last of his family teams up with ex-soldier Travis to track down Baywara—the most dangerous warrior in the Territory, who is also his uncle. As Travis and Gutjuk journey through the outback they begin to earn each other’s trust, but when the truths of Travis’ past actions are suddenly revealed, it is he who becomes the hunted.

This programme aims to provide an overview of Aboriginal health and provides some reasons why significant differences exist within Australia in terms of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal health.

Zac Webb is a Wadandi-Pibulmun cultural custodian from the Noongar nation, an Aboriginal region spanning southwestern Australia along the Great Southern Reef near Margaret River, and one of the last speakers of their native language. Having been taught by his family who have continuously lived on Wadandi Boodja for generations, he has a wealth of knowledge of his people’s culture. “if you look after the country, the country will look after you because we are part of the country and she is a part of us ”. This concept is key to what the Great Southern Reef is all about. Caring for where we live, connecting to sea country and seeing ourselves as local stewards of a larger interconnected system.

The Australian Curriculum requires Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives to be embedded across all subject areas. This programme is a professional development resource for teachers seeking successful strategies for enhancing the inclusion of Aboriginal perspectives in their courses. Through case studies of real school successes, expert interviews, and practical tips, this programme inspires teachers to integrate teaching of Aboriginal histories and cultures in all subjects and year levels.

Surviving aggressive colonisation, including dispossession to enable atomic testing, and through their tenacious spirit and cultural strength, the Maralinga people fight to retain their country.

This inspiring film celebrates the courage and resilience of those who, for over a century, have fought for the right of Aboriginal children to public education.

Off Country follows the lives of seven Indigenous students as they leave home to spend a year boarding at one of the oldest and most elite boarding schools in the country, Geelong Grammar.

This video presents the poem “Paleep”, written by koolyn language holder of the Djap Wurrung, Peek Wurrung and Dhauwurd Wurrung and community activator Arika Waulu Onus. Its themes of nature, destruction and the environment are brought to life by beautiful animations. A wonderful example of contemporary Australian poetry for learners of any age.

Australia was at war, yet although Indigenous Australians were considered unfit to fight, plenty enlisted, including Reg Saunders who fought in the Mediterranean and New Guinea, becoming the first commissioned Aboriginal officer. This frank account of his valour and the toll that war took on him, is told by his daughter Glenda Humes.

This video presents the poem “Sun Downs and Seasons”, written and read by proud Gunai Woman and award-winning multidisciplinary artist Kirli Saunders. Its themes of nature, ancestors and Country are brought to life by beautiful animations. A wonderful example of contemporary Australian poetry for learners of any age.

Continuing the story from 'Assimilation: Genocide by Another Name', this programme focuses on the formal policies to assimilate Indigenous people and looks at why such policies failed.

Insightful, irreverent, moving and unpredictable, this episode sets the record straight about what it's really like to be an Indigenous Australian.