History wars

The history wars in Australia is a term which is used to describe the public debate about the
interpretation of the history of the European colonisation of Australia and the development of
contemporary Australian society (particularly with regard to their impact on Aboriginal
Australians and Torres Strait Islanders). Although this debate is ongoing, the term "history
wars" was first used in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and its use corresponded with the
Howard government's term in office.
The Australian debate often concerns the extent to which the history of European
colonisation post-1788 and government administration since Federation in 1901 may be
characterised as having been: