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construction of Australian history yet do not go beyond this statement in presenting this as a
topic of complexity to students. Given this, it could be viewed as an almost self-conscious
disclaimer, as though the textbook writers would like to write more, but are aware of the
political sensitivities around doing so. A sensitivity that when ignored six years later in 1994
resulted in significant negative publicity by those in the press when the term invasion was
used.
7.11.4 Discourse of Indigenous Australians as problem-laden.
There is a distinct discourse of problems operating in Junior secondary history for
Queensland schools (Criswell & Deoki, 1982) that position Indigenous Australians as the
sole bearers of responsibility for “...problems of their own in modern Australia” (Criswell &
Deoki, 1982, p. 187). Specific terms used to identify Indigenous Australians as having
problems include: “their own”, “Some find it difficult”, “do not want to”, “...more poverty,
unemployment, sickness and crime among Aborigines” (Criswell & Deoki, 1982, p. 187).
Linking with the discourse of policy and legislation already analysed in this chapter, the
Government is seen as the liberator of these problems through the statement “the Government
provides special facilities to look after Aboriginal people” (Criswell & Deoki, 1982, p. 187).
Yet, the causes of the problems are firmly placed as the responsibility of Indigenous
Australians, with little contextual information provided beyond a very vague conclusion of:
“When white people first came to Australia, there were often misunderstandings between
them and the Aborigines. Misunderstandings still cause problems today” (Criswell & Deoki,
1982, p. 187).
As the only representation of Indigenous Australians in the textbook, it is clear that
Indigenous Australians are being portrayed as having significant racial deficits through, for
example, content related to unemployment and crime. Whilst even a cursory glance at
national statistics shows that Indigenous Australians are overrepresented in areas such as
poverty and unemployment, rather than looking at systemic reasons for this, such as
government policies or community attitudes, this textbook attributes all “problems” (Criswell
& Deoki, 1982, p. 187) to Indigenous Australians. Other parts of society are not seen as
contributing to the serious issues that are raised, nor is a combined effort seen as a way to
address these serious issues. Furthermore, as the only representation of Indigenous
Australians in Junior secondary history for Queensland schools (Criswell & Deoki, 1982)
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