An article originally written in 2008 for the ABC by former academic Tony Smith for ABC online where he argues that the tradition of Australians fighting other people’s wars began in WWI. This article was updated in 2020. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-11-11/38318 Continue reading Anzac: the legend’s problem
Among the many horrors and sadism of the SAS toward the Afghan people, animals did not escape cruelty. This story is not about the sentient creature who lost his/her life in that hideous war, but it’s what caught my eye as I learn more and more about the Australian troops’ unspeakable behaviour in Afghanistan. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/may/04/who-shot-the-dog-the-canine-killing-that-could-play-a-crucial-role-in-the-ben-roberts-smith-defamation-trial Continue reading Who shot the dog? The canine killing that could play a crucial role in the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial
Sticky post
By Henry Reynolds Apr 25, 2022 Australian and New Zealand soldiers marching to Westminster Abbey to commemorate the first Anzac Day, London, 25 April 1916. Image: Wikimedia Commons The evidence suggests that the Federal government sees Anzac as an attractive tool to open a new front in the culture wars and one where the Labor party might well be wedged. The ongoing discussion between State and Federal education ministers about a national curriculum drafted by the Australian Curriculum Assessment Authority is still not finalised. There have been a number of sticking points, none more persistent than what history should be offered … Continue reading ANZAC’s contested legacy
Blogging on the military 