January 14, 2025
Crims, rebels, troublemakers. It might be time to re-think some of the characters sent to Australia from Britain in the 1800s.
It turns out most convicts weren’t criminals, they were political activists or the criminalised poor – many were rebel coal miners sent to Australia for standing up to the man. Noone thought when they got here they’d keep up the fight. The fact they did meant this country became one of the fairest societies on the planet. In this episode we meet some of them.
Check out the Conviction Politics and Unshackled: the True Convict Story websites for more great resources!
Professor Moore’s book on the topic, Death or Liberty: Rebels and radicals transported to Australia 1788 – 1868 is available here!
Unshackled is proudly supported by Monash University, and produced in conjunction with Roar Film.
Featuring:
Professor Tony Moore – Monash University – Curator of ‘Unshackled: The True Convict Story’ – created by Roar Film