Disclaimer: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners are advised that the following program contains names of people who have died. We extend a disclaimer to all listeners that this episode contains detailed accounts of violence and trauma, and may be disturbing for some.

In this episode of Australia, Explained, we break down the Tasmanian genocide - what happened, why people don’t know about it and how we can work towards reconciliation.

In this episode, we attempted to use black voices as the focal point of our research.  Direct sources from the Palawa people were found in a range of publications and comments by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre and Aboriginal leaders. 

Bits and pieces mentioned:

Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre

Palawa Shared Language Groups

Truganini memorial defaced

National Museum of Australia’s account of the Black War

Recognising genocide in Tasmania place names

Surviving Palawa (page 18)

Explainer: Evidence for the Tasmanian genocide

The Last of the Tasmanians - 1870 book by James Bonwick

How we remember Frontier Wars opinion piece

We also used physical sources from the State Library of Victoria. Feel free to contact us if you want to review these.


This week, Tania recommended a museum website with a variety of primary sources about the Tasmanian Genocide - note how certain paintings may depict the event with a specific perspective/bias. Vanessa recommended an interactive map by the Guardian that outlines the Frontier Wars in Australia, where they happened and who was involved.

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