Australia is on the brink of momentous change, but only if its citizens
and politicians can come to new terms with the past. In this inspiring
essay, Mark McKenna considers the role of history in making and unmaking
the nation. From Captain Cook to the frontier wars, from Australia Day
to the Uluru Statement, we are seeing fresh debates and recognitions.
McKenna argues that it is time to move beyond the history wars and that
truth-telling about the past will be liberating and healing. This is an
urgent essay about a nation's moment of truth.