In Denial: The Stolen Generations and the Right; Quarterly Essay 1

What was the role of Paddy McGuinness as editor of Quadrant? How reliable was the evidence that led newspaper columnists from Piers Akerman in the Sydney Daily Telegraph to Andrew Bolt in the Melbourne Herald Sun to deny the gravity of the injustice done?

In a powerful indictment of past government policies towards the indigenous Australians, Robert Manne has written a brilliant polemical essay which doubles as a succinct history of how indigenous Australians were mistreated and an exposure of the ignorance of those who want to deny that history.

‘In complex intellectual conflicts, there will always be argument about whether the antagonists are committed to finding the truth or to winning the battle. This essay tells us that Robert Manne is intent on finding the truth.’ – Morag Fraser, editor Eureka Street

‘[In Denial] is a work of both the head and the heart. It is carefully researched and powerfully expressed. It needs to be widely read. – The Hon. P.J. Keating, former Prime Minister of Australia