Big Ideas The Great Debate — that Australia's history unites us
Jan 26, 2026
Guest
Dan Woodman
Guest
Vonda Malone
Guest
Michelle Arrow
Guest
Georgina Downer
Guest
Jacqueline Troy
Guest
Frank Bongiorno
Frank Bongiorno, historian and author, argues deep Indigenous ties and shared land shape unity. Jakelin (Jacqueline) Troy, Ngarigu academic in Indigenous research, highlights continuity and diversity. Michelle Arrow, modern history professor, stresses unity built by exclusion. Vonda Malone, Torres Strait Islander leader and former CEO, recounts lived injustices. Georgina Downer, institute CEO, points to democratic evolution. Dan Woodman, sociology professor, reframes unity as shared practices.
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Episode notes
Land As Deep Source Of Unity
- Frank Bongiorno argues Australia's unity comes from shared deep-time relationship to the land rather than a single agreed narrative.
- Unity can coexist with diversity because all inhabitants must bow to the land's authority over them.
Friend's Family Spans A Tragic Past
- Frank Bongiorno recounts his friend Gordon Briscoe's family ties to both victims and perpetrators of the Coniston Massacre.
- He presents Gordon as embodying Australia's shared achievements and traumas.
Unity Built By Exclusion Won't Last
- Michelle Arrow says history is contested and unity built by exclusion is fragile and unjust.
- Honest, plural history sustain democracy better than forced unanimity.
