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Listed under:  History  >  World history  >  Australian history
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Voting in Australia

The representatives elected to federal Parliament make decisions that affect many aspects of Australian life including tax, marriage, the environment, trade and immigration. This 28 page PDF document explains the history of Australia’s electoral system and how it works, Australia’s system of government and the role citizens ...

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Race, rights & rivalries

This resource explores the history of Broome and the rich multicultural community that supported its pearling industry. The site features a virtual museum providing a range of primary source material including photographs, newspaper extracts, historical documents, video and audio recordings. The site explores the history ...

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Waters of Kamay

This learning sequence explores the salt and fresh waters of Kamay Botany Bay, its importance as a life source and the cultural connection it has to the Aboriginal people living at Kamay. Water is essential for life. It nourishes our bodies, our lands and supports all life on earth. It is home to wondrous and significant ...

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Exploring Kamay

This resource explores the landscape of Kamay Botany Bay, as well as the technology discovered by the crew aboard the HMB Endeavour in 1770. This resource is one part of the 'Endeavour – eight days in Kamay' resource.

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Rogue nation, 2009: Democracy and the colony of NSW

This clip is an excerpt from the 2009 documentary 'Honour among thieves', the first of a two-part television series entitled 'Rogue nation'. In a dramatised re-enactment, British Commissioner John Thomas Bigge investigates the colony of NSW in 1819. He is advised by John Macarthur, a member of the 'exclusives' class of ...

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National treasures, 2004: Gallipoli boat

'Gallipoli boat' is an episode of the series 'National treasures' produced in 2004. The episode features Lifeboat 6, a small lifeboat that was retrieved from Gallipoli five years after it had landed at Anzac Cove. The boat is now held at the Australian War Memorial. Warren Brown describes the difficult conditions on the ...

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Rogue nation, 2009: NSW in 1819, convict gulag or place of opportunity?

This clip is an excerpt from the 2009 documentary 'Rites of passage', the second of a two-part series entitled 'Rogue nation'. The clip begins with historian Michael Cathcart providing contextual information about England in the early 1800s. He says that in the midst of the industrial revolution, millions of people were ...

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The Fall of Singapore: The road to the fall of Singapore, 1939-42

Imagine a situation in which your country's safety was based on a myth. From September 1939, Britain and Australia were at war with Nazi Germany. Meanwhile, Japan had been invading China since 1932. Discover why Australians believed that, if Japan threatened Australia, our country could not be invaded because Singapore ...

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End-of-war celebrations, Sydney, 1945

Have you ever wondered what the end of World War II meant to Australians in 1945? Discover what it was like for those on the streets of Sydney just an hour after the announcement that war in the Pacific was over. Listen to ABC reporter Talbot Duckmanton describe the scenes of jubilation as he broadcasts live from the ABC's ...

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The explorers’ diaries

When Sir Thomas Mitchell and Sir George Grey explored unknown regions of Australia in the 19th century, they found sophisticated examples of agriculture practised by Indigenous peoples. Writer Bruce Pascoe considers why Aboriginal agriculture, economy and civilisation were not taught to generations of Australians. Do you ...

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Welcome to Bonegilla Migrant Camp

Following World War II, the Australian government was eager to increase the country’s population. The war reminded Australians that their small population would not withstand an enemy invasion. Further, a larger workforce was needed to develop the postwar economy. European people, many displaced by the war and the spread ...

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ABC News: Public reactions to sending troops to Vietnam War

Do you think Australian governments have always acted wisely when deciding to send young Australians to wars? Does the public usually know enough to support such decisions? On 29 April 1965, Australia's prime minister, Robert Menzies, announced the decision to send Australian troops to fight in Vietnam. In this clip, filmed ...

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BTN: Chinese migration

Learn the history of Chinese migration to Australia in the 1800s, and hear the story of Captain John Egge, entrepeneur and business owner. Can you think of some other notable migrants and the contributions they made to Australia?

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Communicating in the colonial era

Imagine if you were living in Sydney in the 1800s and awaiting news or packages from England. You see a ship approaching Sydney Harbour, but how do you know where this ship is coming from or what it is carrying? Find out in this video from Sydney Observatory!

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Royal Australian Mint: learning

This website provides a range of resources and activities and activities for students and teachers about the history of Australian currency, the minting process and Australia's decimal currency. Of note is an interactive slideshow with high resolution images of currencies from Indigenous barter systems to modern Australian ...

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Australian coin history

This interactive slideshow from the Royal Australian Mint provides a series of high resolution images and brief descriptions of currencies from Indigenous barter systems to modern Australian currency. A downloadable fact sheet on Australian coin history is accessible from selected pages within the slideshow.

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Decimal currency

This interactive slideshow from the Royal Australian Mint provides a series of high resolution images and brief descriptions of the transition from pre-decimal to decimal currency in Australia.

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Broome during World War II

This web site focusses on the events in Broome during World War II, in particular the air raids in 1942 and the aftermath. The site includes a virtual museum that includes photographs, newspaper articles, film clips and interviews for students to engage with historical information from a range of sources. The education ...

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Australian Constitution online

Browse the complete text of the Australian Constitution with this easy-to use website. It includes a detailed overview by the Australian Government Solicitor and a 2:26 min video snapshot about the Constitution and its role in the governance of the Australian nation.

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Anzac Day analysis from The Conversation

This is a collection of short articles about Anzac Day, including history, preparation for centenary celebrations, cultural interpretations of remembrance, relationship with Remembrance Day, and wars not remembered such as Tasmania’s Black War. The articles are written in plain language and are authored by experts from ...