ABSTRACT
In Australia, the Stolen Generations is a collective term for the thousands of First Nations children who were removed from their families by the government, primarily in the 20th century. The suffering caused by the policies of removal and assimilation was relatively unknown (or ignored) by the broader public until the Bringing Them Home report in 1997. Including personal testimonies from over five hundred members of the Stolen Generations, the report sparked a national conversation leading to an apology in 2008. Despite a growing body of academic research on the Stolen Generations, the historicity of their experiences has been challenged. Several conservative writers have downplayed the suffering and suggest that the government acted in the children’s best interest. One prominent conservative voice, Andrew Bolt, outright denies any connection between racism and the removal of indigenous children. This chapter explores the interplay of downplaying and denialism. Bolt’s treatment of the Stolen Generations privileges the emotional appeal of a historical narrative over its evidence base: the essence of post-truth. His conclusions, though academically weak and premised on an a priori negative impression of indigenous families, are widely spread and influence the way history is popularly consumed.
