Cronulla Riots: The Day that Shocked the Nation (ATOM Study Guide)

The documentary attempts to reconstruct the tensions between groups of young people in parts of Sydney who, in December 2005, engaged in an alcohol-fuelled violent rampage. What caused these riots? Cronulla Riots: The Day that Shocked the Nation is a collection of intimate stories told predominately by one group – Australian people of Lebanese background – who participated in or were affected by the riots and subsequent retaliation. This is therefore a particular perspective to the riots.

The documentary also raises many issues about how the media – in particular Alan Jones, a Sydney-based radio broadcaster – reported on the tensions leading up to the riots.

The role, reactions and contribution of several community organisations, including the police, surf lifesaving officials and local Cronulla businesspeople, all add colourful and insightful stories and commentary to the tumultuous event.

While the event in itself may, at face value, appear to be a single example of public antisocial behaviour, with no loss of life and relatively minimal property damage, the origins and motives behind the perpetrators of the riot raise some very serious and complex issues about the existence and extent of racism in Australia. The documentary investigates simmering tensions between groups of white Australians and Lebanese Australians, culminating in violent attacks at Sydney's Cronulla beach on a hot day in December 2005.

How could this tension finally result in violent clashes in the streets of Cronulla?

What role, if any, did blatant racism play in the violence? Do you agree with the comments of the police inspector who said that the troubles were 'race-based'? What is your evidence for this belief?

If racism was a major contributing factor, what does this single event tell us about what it means to be an 'Australian'?

So what it does it mean to be racist and is racism and/or multiculturalism a part of our culture?

Is it over-sensationalising for the SBS film makers to call this event 'The Day that Shocked the Nation'?

Curriculum Links:

The documentary captures the historic event of the Cronulla Riots in December 2005. It examines the event in the context of Australia's cultural and social history using a range of event-recording strategies including actual film of the day, interviews and newspaper reporting. Cronulla Riots is suitable for a wide range of year levels. However, because of its reporting of violence and the broader issues it raises about racism, multiculturalism and Australian identity, it is mainly suited to middle and upper secondary level students. The documentary contains some violence and coarse language.

The curriculum areas that that the documentary could be related to include:

• SOSE/HSIE
• English
• Media Studies
• Civics and Citizenship
• Politics
• Sociology
• Psychology