Telling the truth about Australia’s past

On this special episode of Democracy Sausage for National Reconciliation Week, Virginia Marshall, Peter Swanton, and Tahlia King from The Australian National University join us to discuss why Australia needs to have uncomfortable conversations about its past in order to achieve genuine reconciliation.

Are there examples internationally Australia can look to as it goes through its own truth-telling process? Should all Australians be given the opportunity to learn Indigenous Australian languages? And how are some young Aboriginal scholars working to decolonise their fields? This week on Democracy Sausage, lawyer and legal scholar Dr Virginia Marshall, astrophysicist Peter Swanton, and psychology student Taliah King share their personal stories and professional insights in this special National Reconciliation Week episode. Listen now: 

Virginia Marshall is the Inaugural Indigenous Postdoctoral Fellow with The Australian National University (ANU)’s School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet) and the Fenner School of Environment and Society.

Peter Swanton is an astrophysics graduate from ANU and Gamilaraay/Yuwaalaraay man from Mackay, Queensland.

Taliah King is a final-year psychology student at The Australian National University and a proud Aboriginal woman from the Yuin and Waanyi people.

Mark Kenny is a Professor in the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.

Peter Swanton’s Sky Stories discussion from 2020 is available on YouTube.

In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14.

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This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University.

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