Recognition: Yes or No? (ATOM Study Guide)

Recognition: Yes or No? (Kay Pavlou, 2016) is a documentary that traces the conversation surrounding constitutional recognition for Indigenous Australians.

Indigenous politician Linda Burney and conservative commentator Andrew Bolt fundamentally disagree on whether the Australian constitution should recognise Aboriginal Australians as the First Australians, who occupied the continent before European settlement. Currently it does not.

Burney believes that constitutional change will heal wounds of past injustices, help the process of reconciliation and be nation-building. Bolt says it would be a racist act in itself that will divide rather than unite Australia.

Aiming to change each other's views, Burney and Bolt embark on a four-week journey to seek out opinions from community leaders, lobbyists and lawmakers in Australia and New Zealand. Some oppose changing the constitution altogether, while even those in favour advocate differing approaches. Some place an emphasis on education, others on working towards a treaty, while others argue that sections of the constitution that can be used to enact legislation that adversely discriminates on the basis of 'race' should be removed altogether.

The issues explored in this documentary are crucial to informing students about the functions of a constitution, the application of western-style law in Australia and the complexities of civil liberties afforded to all Australians regardless of identity.

Curriculum links

Recognition: Yes or No? is a resource that can be used to educate all secondary students in a variety of curriculum areas, such as:

• Political Studies (changing the constitution)
• Civics and Citizenship (the nature of Australian citizenship)
• Australian History (colonialism, invasion and the development of Indigenous civil rights)
• Legal Studies (the law, the constitution and Indigenous law)
• English (communication and persuasion)
• Media Studies (the art of the documentary)