I often watch documentaries about America that criticise either the nation's history, or its conduct in contemporary times, and think to myself: 'yeah, I'm glad I'm in Australia where we're not like that.' And then I see a documentary like this one and I'm reminded that we're just as capable of doing horrible, racist things, and my heart sinks.
Haven't celebrated Australia Day for a couple of years now, but if I was a fan, this documentary would have convinced me it's not really a day we should "celebrate" exactly at all. As a (very white) West Australian who's enjoyed Rottnest Island, and has even stayed in one of those rooms they covered in this documentary: yeah, I felt incredibly bad and ignorant. I'd even looked at that courtyard and thought about how it looked like a prison courtyard, but I'd never thought about how current day Indigenous people would feel about it still existing as a hotel.
At first I was mortified about the documentary trying to "ruin" Rottnest, the same way that father and his kids just ran away from Pilger when he was interviewing people about the Aboriginal stance on Australia Day on Australia Day... but yeah, in my case (and I hope his case), it was a gut instinct. Within a few minutes of reflection, I came round on the idea, and was forced to confront how I should have known, or had more empathy, and that the concerns of the Indigenous population weren't ones that should just be tossed aside; out of mind.
Also for some Australian perspective: I only learnt who John Pilger was a couple of months ago. I've been living here ever since I was born 25 years ago, and I don't know how this man and his work have been unknown to me for so long. Almost makes me want to get a little conspiratorial, because he does go after corporations, governments, and huge media institutions quite ruthlessly.
I studied media in highschool, and communications and media for much of my university education... yet he was never really covered or talked about. He's the ideal of what a journalist should be, sort of like our Louis Theroux. He should be more widely known among people my age. I know personally, I would have been more open to pursuing journalism at university had I been more aware that you could be a journalist without being unethical.
Oh well, better late than never. If you're a non-Indigenous Australian, this will make you uncomfortable, but it's making you uncomfortable for a good reason. Sit with it, think about things, and in time, hopefully your attitude and actions will change. I certainly hope this will happen with me.