Australia on Trial

Presented by historian Michael Cathcart, “Australia On Trial” is a thought-provoking three-part series, recreating three historic trials that throw light on the Australia of colonial times. Based on actual court reports, the series provides a unique take on how Australia’s national identity has evolved – and how the moral, social and political questions raised by these three trials still resonate in the present day. Each episode covers a separate trial. The trials featured are The Mount Rennie Rape Trial (1886), The Eureka 13 Trial (1855), and the Myall Creek Massacre Trial (1838). Each case caused a sensation at the time and attracted enormous public interest. Each triggered unprecedented social and political debate about subjects at the very heart of Australian society: democracy and justice, the identity and behaviour of Australia’s men, and attitudes towards women and Indigenous people.