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of the early interactions between Tasmania’s Aboriginal population and sealers and whales,
writing that Aboriginal women had been abducted by them, the textbook then goes over the
“...infamous ‘Black line’ attempt to draw a cordon around the Aborigines and remove them
from the island...” (Cowie, 1982, p. 303); before detailing what Cowie calls “genocide in
Tasmania” (Cowie, 1982, p. 303). Although such strong terminology is used, Cowie does not
attribute an unbridled blame to the government for the situation that saw Tasmanian
Aboriginals taken to Flinders Island (their later return to the mainland is ignored in this
textbook). Instead, Source 7.31 points out, Cowie represents the situation as being well
intended and that the impact of the policy that saw the majority of Tasmania’s Aboriginal
population die, as “...not readily understandable to Europeans...” (Cowie, 1982, p. 303).
Avoiding an analysis of this event through contemporary understandings, Cowie is able to
represent the complexities that were present in Tasmania that led to this action by the
government. For, although it is completely alien to current concepts of human rights, this
action by the government, led by George Robinson was considered by many, to be the ‘right’
action to take. As the textbook had previously stated, “on the one hand it would remove the
troublesome menace to the pastoralist and on the other hand it would protect the remaining
Aborigines from white brutality and diseases” (Cowie, 1982, p. 303).
Source 7.31. Extract of section on Tasmanian Aboriginals from Crossroads:
Imperialism and race relations (Cowie, 1982, p. 303).
7.7 Category 4: Federation and the Constitution
7.7.1 Discourses of the 1967 referendum.
The 1967 Referendum is only briefly mentioned in Crossroads: Imperialism and race
relations (Cowie, 1982; see Source 7.32).
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