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with a comprehensive understanding of the wider issues of land rights during the late 1960s
and early 1970s, instead their knowledge is marred by the party-politicking (whether
intentional or not is unknown) of the author. Whereas in earlier eras there was a clear
partiality towards conservative politics, by now privileging left politics, there is still not a
comprehensive detailing of various sides and opinions of the issue of land rights, beyond the
case study at hand. This limits opportunities for students to consider multiple perspectives
through fair treatment of primary sources and the interpretation provided in the textbook.
Finally, even when framed in the positive, such as when the Gurindji people received their
land rights claim, it seems that Indigenous issues are more often than not couched in terms of
government policy and legislation, unlike other histories which are not mediated through
government policy at such a minute level. This demonstrates a constant discourse of
government intervention in the everyday life of Indigenous peoples, which is potentially
disempowering, especially when not concerned with larger issues such as land rights.
7.9.5 Discourses of resolution.
Concluding the case study of the strike in Case studies in Australian history (Stewart, 1986)
students are presented with a section on how the strike was resolved. Through a discourse of
resolution, key ideas are put forward to describe the conclusion of the strike that had begun in
1966 and ended eight years later in 1975. Unlike the remainder of the chapter which presents
the Gurindji people as leaders in the strike, the resolution is achieved, in part, through the
assistance of non-Indigenous people from Melbourne and Sydney in particular. In addition, it
is through public awareness and support, the narrative indicates, the strike was brought more
powerfully to the attention of the land lease holder, Lord Vestey, and the government. This is
particularly accentuated through the extract included as Source 7.45.
Source 7.45. Resolution of the Wave Hill Station Strike extract from Case studies in
Australian history (Stewart, 1986, p. 202).
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