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2010/01: Should Phillip Noyce's film, 'Rabbit-Proof Fence', be banned in Australian schools?
Introduction to the media issue
Video clip at right: A trailer of the film Rabbit-proof fence. Critics of the film have claimed that it strays too far from the book and should be banned from schools.
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What they said...
'Lies are being taught as truth, and until the teachers know the difference, it's mischievous and damaging to so deceive young children about their country's past'
Andrew Bolt, Herald Sun columnist
'It represents the national story of the suffering and dislocation of indigenous children in a visually stimulating way. It is a valuable and empathic teaching tool'
Alexander Edwards, writing for The Debaser
The issue at a glance
On December 14, 2009, it was reported that the historian Keith Windschuttle had called for the film 'Rabbit-Proof Fence' to be banned in Australian schools.
Windschuttle made the remarks in the lead-up to the release of the third volume of his series, 'The Fabrication of Aboriginal History'. (Volume one of 'The Fabrication of Aboriginal History was published in 2002. Volume two of the series has yet to appear.)
Windschuttle's call for the banning of the film 'Rabbit-Proof Fence' was supported by Herald Sun columnist, Andrew Bolt.
Windschuttle's claims about the film were immediately disputed by the film's co-screenwriter, Christine Olsen, and its director, Phillip Noyce.
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