War memorial not the place to 'dwell on' frontier wars

Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has stated that the Australian War Memorial is not the appropriate place to focus on the frontier conflict between Indigenous people and settlers. He joined filmmaker Rachel Perkins and historian Henry Reynolds to discuss whether this conflict can be considered warfare and how it should be treated in the nation's memorial.

Abbott emphasized that while the story of the conflict should be acknowledged at the war memorial, it is not the appropriate place to dwell on it. Historian Henry Reynolds suggested that a properly funded separate museum, run by the Institute of Aboriginal Affairs, would be a better venue for this topic. Aboriginal filmmaker Rachel Perkins argued that these conflicts constituted warfare, as they were fought over fundamental aspects of life, livelihood, culture, and land.

The Australian War Memorial's council chair, Kim Beazley, noted that the conflict has been a part of Australian history teaching for some time. The memorial will host a conference in September to debate the issue, alongside its focus on 19th-century military history.