The Australian Wars
| Company type | Documentary television series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television, Documentary |
| Founded | 2022 |
| Founder | Rachel Perkins |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Key people | Rachel Perkins (director and narrator) |
| Products | Documentary series |
The Australian Wars—known internationally as First Wars, is a documentary series released in 2022, consisting of three episodes that explore the Australian frontier wars. This project was directed and narrated by Indigenous filmmaker Rachel Perkins for SBS Television. Through a blend of interviews, dramatized scenes, archaeological findings, and original archival materials, the series investigates massacres that occurred in Sydney, Tasmania, and Queensland.
Critics generally praised the series, labeling it as "must-watch" for Australian audiences. However, some detractors argued that it overstated Aboriginal casualty numbers and pushed a political narrative. In response to the series' portrayal, the Australian War Memorial pledged to enhance its representation of Indigenous-related violence within its displays. The documentary was honored with the 2023 Silver Logie Award for Most Outstanding Factual or Documentary Program.
Production
The series was both directed and narrated by Rachel Perkins, who descends from the Arrernte and Kalkadoon communities. Produced by Blackfella Films for SBS, funding came from Screen Australia, along with financial backing from the Shark Island Foundation and Screen NSW. Initially titled First Wars, Perkins opted to rename the series after completing filming. To support educational initiatives, Blackfella Films and SBS collaborated with Culture is Life, an Aboriginal-led organisation, to create teaching materials incorporating excerpts from the documentary.
Release
Broadcast simultaneously on SBS and National Indigenous Television in September 2022, the series was also made available for streaming with subtitles in Simplified Chinese, Arabic, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and English.
Under the title First Wars, the series saw an international release. In November 2023, it debuted on BBC Four in the United Kingdom.
Summary
Covering the period from the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 through to the 1920s, the documentary charts the course of the Australian frontier wars. It explores various stages, locations, and combat strategies employed by both British colonists and Aboriginal groups while probing why these conflicts were never formally declared as war. Central themes include Indigenous resistance to European settlement and examining how these violent encounters have shaped contemporary Australia. The series confronts what has been described as "the great Australian silence" surrounding numerous massacres.
The initial episode focuses on incidents near Sydney, followed by an examination of events in Tasmania, with the concluding episode delving into the establishment of the native police corps in Queensland.
Utilizing a combination of interviews with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous historians like Marcia Langton and Henry Reynolds, reenacted sequences, colonial-era documents, oral histories from descendants of survivors, and archaeological investigations, the series offers a comprehensive account. It also sheds light on how Aboriginal women were affected by these conflicts, including instances of sexual abuse. Rachel Perkins personally explored her ancestral past by revisiting a massacre site on Arrernte Country in the Northern Territory, where her grandmother survived; this segment incorporates testimony recorded during the 1970s.
Reception
Anne Maree Payne and Heidi Norman from The Conversation characterized the series as "a significant contribution to truth-telling" and a "moment of public reckoning," while Ethan Floyd writing for Honi Soit described it as "a pivotal milestone in the journey of truth-telling." Beejay Silcox of The Guardian commended it as "an ode to memory – a creation marked by honesty, dignity, and compassionate grace." Reece Goodwin, film and television curator at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, included it among his top five TV shows of 2022, deeming it "must-watch content for every Australian."
Nevertheless, the series encountered criticism. Chris Battle in Quadrant dismissed it as "taxpayer-funded propaganda," while author Peter O'Brien rejected the notion of prolonged Aboriginal resistance wars, calling it "a newly fabricated myth."
The series called on the Australian War Memorial, which had historically omitted frontier wars from its displays, to recognize those who lost their lives in these conflicts. In one episode, Matt Anderson, director of the War Memorial, clarified that the institution was originally created to commemorate overseas military engagements rather than internal Australian conflicts. However, soon after the series aired, outgoing chair and former minister Brendan Nelson revealed intentions to develop a "much broader, much deeper portrayal" of violence inflicted on Indigenous people by British forces, pastoralists, police, and Aboriginal militias. Perkins described this announcement as "a watershed moment in Australian history" and an unexpected advancement.
Liberal senator Matt Canavan contended that this initiative went beyond the War Memorial’s mandate under the Australian War Memorial Act, but Anderson maintained that the institution holds discretion and has previously showcased galleries related to "colonial" battles.
Ratings
The debut episode on 21 September 2022 became SBS' highest-rated program with 154,000 viewers overnight. The concluding episode on 5 October drew 147,000 overnight viewers, which rose to 335,000 when daily consolidated ratings were accounted for.
Awards and nominations
At the 3rd Australian International Documentary Conference Awards in March 2023, the series secured Best Documentary/Factual Series, with the jury lauding its expert craftsmanship and impactful storytelling.
The Australian Wars earned the Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Factual or Documentary Program at the Logie Awards of 2023, an accolade determined by industry professionals.
Casting director Anousha Zarkesh received the 2022 Casting Guild of Australia Award for 'Achievement in Casting.' The screenplay by Jacob Hickey, Rachel Perkins, and Don Watson was shortlisted for the Betty Roland Prize for Scriptwriting at the 2023 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards.
Perkins and Reynolds were jointly awarded the 2022 Annual History Citation Award from the History Council of New South Wales in recognition of their contributions to Australian (Frontier) Wars history and public engagement. Additionally, the film was a finalist for the 2023 Screen Diversity and Inclusion (SDIN) Award at the 21st Annual Screen Producers Australia Awards.
Episode 1 received the 2023 Digital History Prize at the New South Wales Premier's History Awards, honoring Perkins, Darren Dale, Hickey, Watson, and Blackfella Films.
In 2024, the series was honored with the AACTA Award for Best Documentary or Factual Program.
External links
- Articles with short description
- Indigenous Australian television series
- 2020s Australian documentary television series
- Special Broadcasting Service original programming
- Australian frontier wars
- Documentary television series about historical events
- Documentary television series about war
- Logie Award winners