First Contact - Series 2 (ATOM Study Guide)

The provocative, controversial and dramatic television event First Contact returns to SBS with Ray Martin as host. The constructed documentary series of three one-hour episodes takes a group of six well-known Australians with strong opinions on a unique journey into Aboriginal Australia.

The six are singer-songwriter Natalie Imbruglia, television personality Ian 'Dicko' Dickson, former Miss Universe Australia Renae Ayris, actress Nicki Wendt, comedian Tom Ballard and former One Nation politician David Oldfield. The group meet face-to-face with individuals, families and communities who define Indigenous Australia today. They are immersed into Aboriginal culture, and experience what life is really like for the nation's First Peoples.

Leaving their high-profile lives behind, the six are taken deep into a world far away from their everyday reality. They are confronted by the stories they find and the people they meet. It is an experience that reveals the beauty, hope, history and challenges of Aboriginal Australia.

In this second series, the six question themselves, their Indigenous hosts and one another to try and find answers to burning questions – from alcohol abuse to education, from incarceration to the Stolen Generations, from a suicide epidemic to constitutional recognition. Through the heat of argument, light is shed. As stereotypes are broken, a process of education and understanding begins.

Guided by award-winning journalist Ray Martin, the group are tested in extraordinary situations. Their beliefs are challenged, their emotions pushed to the limit.

Twenty-eight days. Six well-known Aussies. One life-changing journey.

Curriculum links
First Contact can be linked to the Australian Curriculum for:

• History (Years 9–12, particularly Year 9 Depth Study 2: Australia and Asia)
• English (Years 10–12)
• Health and Physical Education (Year 10)

It can also be used as a supplementary text for the following subject areas in Years 11–12:

• Health and Human Development
• Psychology
• Legal Studies
• English
• Media Arts