Laura Rademaker
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Articles by Laura Rademaker
Surface Rights: Sovereignty, Citizenship and the Question of Mineral Rights in the Woodward Commission
1 Introduction When Prime Minister Gough Whitlam established the Aboriginal Land Rights Commission in late 1972, the letters patent included these instructions.
From the editors
11 hours ago Crucial Quote “Americans have gone from 4% to 74% of my business” since 2019, Latitude World’s Major told Forbes. Surprising Fact For the first time since the Great Depression, more people left the U.S. than moved there in 2025, The Wall Street Journal reported. While the Trump administration hails …
From the editors
If we turn to history to read the tea leaves of the future, this edition of History Australia offers a rich and revealing brew.
Friday essay: ‘too many Aboriginal babies’ - Australia’s secret history of Aboriginal population control in the 1960s
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article may contain images of deceased people. It contains mentions of the Stolen Generations, and policies using outdated and potentially offensive terminology when referring to First Nations people. The 1967 referendum is celebrated for its promise that First Nations people of Australia would be counted. But when they were, many white experts decided the Aboriginal population was growing too fast – and took steps to stop this growth.
Australia's secret history of Aboriginal population control in the 1960s
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article may contain images of deceased people. It contains mentions of the Stolen Generations, and policies using outdated and potentially offensive terminology when referring to First Nations people. The 1967 referendum is celebrated for its promise that First Nations people of Australia would be counted. But when they were, many white experts decided the Aboriginal population was growing too fast—and took steps to stop this growth.
Friday essay: ‘too many Aboriginal babies’ - Australia’s secret history of Aboriginal population control in the 1960s
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article may contain images of deceased people. It contains mentions of the Stolen Generations, and policies using outdated and potentially offensive terminology when referring to First Nations people. The 1967 referendum is celebrated for its promise that First Nations people of Australia would be counted. But when they were, many white experts decided the Aboriginal population was growing too fast – and took steps to stop this growth.
Self-determination works. The Voice will take the logical next step • Laura Rademaker & Ian Anderson
One of the main objections to the proposed First Nations Voice is that its promise of Indigenous self-determination is a dead end. Some suspect that First Nations people, given the chance, will push for policies that are unwise. Others fear that the limited self-determination offered by the Voice is symbolism without substance. These fears echo critiques already in the Australian ether. You might have heard that Indigenous self-determination policy failed.
The Amazing Archive of First Nations Stories Written on Stone
First Nations peoples have lived in north Australia some 65,000 years at least, according to the archaeological evidence. Their history is among the oldest of any in the world. Until recently, though, academics deemed the pasts of Australian Indigenous people did not really count as history. These pasts were of some other quality; they were not the kind that determined world events and shaped the future.
Friday essay: 'this is our library' – how to read the amazing archive of First Nations stories written on rock
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains images and names of deceased people. First Nations peoples have lived in north Australia some 65,000 years at least, according to the archaeological evidence. Their history is among the oldest of any in the world. Until recently, though, academics deemed the pasts of Australian Indigenous people did not really count as history.
Laura Rademaker reviews 'True Tracks: Respecting Indigenous knowledge and culture' by Terri Janke
Indigenous Studies Correcting assumptions about knowledge True Tracks: Respecting Indigenous knowledge and culture by Terri Janke UNSW Press, $44.99 pb, 432 pp Indigenous Studies Correcting assumptions about knowledge This book hit a nerve. It’s not that Terri Janke sets out to confront her readers; if anything, she is at pains to convey goodwill. Janke, who is of Meriam and Wuthathi heritage, writes to build bridges and, above all, to give useful advice.
How historically accurate is the film High Ground? The violence it depicts is uncomfortably close to the truth
The Australian film High Ground, set mostly at a mission in Arnhem Land in the 1930s, blends stories (and languages) from Indigenous Nations across the region. It is a fictionalised story, inspired, says director Stephen Maxwell Johnson, by “true history”. At times, the film resembles a shoot-em-up Western. But it gets a lot right.
How historically accurate is the film High Ground? The violence it depicts is uncomfortably close to the truth
The Australian film High Ground, set mostly at a mission in Arnhem Land in the 1930s, blends stories (and languages) from Indigenous Nations across the region. It is a fictionalised story, inspired, says director Stephen Maxwell Johnson, by “true history”. At times, the film resembles a shoot-em-up Western. But it gets a lot right.
Indigenous Self-Determination in Australia
Description Histories of the colonisation of Australia have recognised distinct periods or eras in the colonial relationship: ‘protection’ and ‘assimilation’. It is widely understood that, in 1973, the Whitlam Government initiated a new policy era: ‘self-determination’. Yet, the defining features of this era, as well as how, why and when it ended, are far from clear. In this collection we ask: how shall we write the history of self-determination?
Why self-determination is vital for Indigenous communities to beat coronavirus
Aboriginal men on Dorre Island, WA. Credit: State Library of Western Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people know very well the challenges of dealing with infectious diseases introduced from overseas to which the people have no immunity. Historically, epidemics have brought a double threat: first to Indigenous health, then to Indigenous self-determination. Compared to the past, this time Indigenous people have been more able to take measures to protect their communities from disease.
Why self-determination is vital for Indigenous communities to beat coronavirus
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people know very well the challenges of dealing with infectious diseases introduced from overseas to which the people have no immunity. Historically, epidemics have brought a double threat: first to Indigenous health, then to Indigenous self-determination. Compared to the past, this time Indigenous people have been more able to take measures to protect their communities from disease.
The racist history behind the disappearance of Australia’s indigenous languages
Linguistically speaking, Australia is special. With around 250 languages spoken when Australia was first colonized, Australia was one of the most linguistically diverse places in the world. But few people speak our Indigenous languages. As of 2016, only 10% of Australia’s Indigenous population spoke an Indigenous language at home. Most Indigenous languages are now “asleep,” waiting to be woken up by language revivalists.
Why do so few Aussies speak an Australian language?
Linguistically speaking, Australia is special. With around 250 languages spoken when Australia was first colonised, Australia was one of the most linguistically diverse places in the world. But few people speak our Indigenous languages. As of 2016, only 10% of Australia’s Indigenous population spoke an Indigenous language at home. Most Indigenous languages are now “asleep”, waiting to be woken up by language revivalists.
Sexual abuse, harassment and discrimination 'rife' among Australian academics
Sexual abuse, harassment and discrimination pervade parts of Australian universities, according to survey results released today by the Australian Women’s History Network. Of the 159 academics who completed our voluntary survey, from more than two dozen universities around Australia, 48.7% reported sexual abuse or harassment in the workplace. Sexual or gender-based discrimination were even more common, reported by 66.2% of respondents.
Sexual abuse, harassment and discrimination 'rife' among Australian academics
Of the 159 academics who completed our voluntary survey, from more than two dozen universities around Australia, 48.7% reported sexual abuse or harassment in the workplace. Sexual or gender-based discrimination were even more common, reported by 66.2% of respondents. Women made up 90.6% of the responses (of these, 50% reported abuse or harassment and 70% reported discrimination).
dreaming of a 'white Christmas' on the Aboriginal missions
This story contains images of people who are deceased. Aboriginal missions, which existed across Australia until the 1970s, are notorious for their austerity. Aboriginal people lived on meagre rations - flour, sugar, tea and tobacco - and later, token wages. At some missions, schoolgirls wore hessian sacks as clothes or skirts made from old bags. Christmas, however, was a joyful time on them. Old people remember Christmas for food, gifts and carols. But the celebration had a sinister edge.
Religion for the Modern Girl: Maude Royden in Australia, 1928
ABSTRACT When the feminist preacher Maude Royden (1876–1956) toured Australia in 1928, she promoted modern religion for modern women. This article examines the Australian press coverage of Royden’s visit to shed light on the complex relationships between religion, modernity and the female body as they were constituted in Australia in the 1920s.
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