An Indelible Stain? The Question of Genocide in Australia's History

Was the killing of Aboriginal people by white settlers genocide? Were government policies designed to eliminate the Aboriginal races? Has history left an 'indelible stain' upon the character of Australian governments - imperial, colonial, federal, State? This book is an examination of the question of whether the Australian government is guilty of genocide in relation to its treatment of Aboriginal Australians. It seeks to answer the question if the United Nations definition of genocide applies to key events in Australia's history such as the smallpox epidemic of 1789, the actions of the Queensland Native Police, Tasmania's Black Line, and the assimilationist policies of the 1950s.