‘Understanding where we live matters’ says Maddy Treacy-Maclean.
Works that deepen our national conversation
Over the break, I had the opportunity to read, watch and learn, a privilege not afforded to all. In a world often overstimulated by politics rather than progress, it is easy to become disheartened. Turning to art, culture and history can offer both grounding and clarity.
Below are my recommendations for thoughtful, challenging and deeply rewarding works to engage with this summer. Collectively, they reflect the importance of listening, truth-telling and cultural understanding in our national conversation.
In that context, the Uluru Statement from the Heart remains a core element of Labor policy and should continue to be acknowledged, regardless of differing views.
1. The Bark Petitions — Clare Wright
This book recounts the fight by Yolngu Traditional Owners in Arnhem Land to protect the Martuwarra (Fitzroy River), tracing a landmark campaign for Indigenous land rights. I came to The Barka Petition while immersed in fiction, and it more than lives up to its accolades as ‘Political Book of the Year’. Clare writes history that is both rigorous and compelling, and with confidence. You are catapulted into Yolngu lives, and what unfolds is a powerful DavidandGoliath stories, political and profoundly human.
2. The Death of Kumanjayi Walker — ABC, The Case Of podcast
This podcast series examines the circumstances surrounding the death of Kumanjayi Walker and the coronial inquest that followed. For your ears, I highly recommend it. The series is short but intellectually rigorous, offering a clear-eyed examination of the legal and policing realities in the Northern Territory. It is confronting and, at times, difficult to process, but gripping in its clarity and purpose.
3. Dear Son — Belvoir Street Theatre
Adapted from Thomas Mayo’s book and directed by Isaac Drandic, Dear Sons explores the experiences, responsibility and love of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men across generations. Sydney based and not to be missed, the performance sneaks up on you. At first you are carried by poetry and exceptional acting and by the end, tears are unavoidable. It is a powerful embodiment of heart, culture and spirit, offering the honesty we so desperately need in our national conversations.
4. Stan Grant — The Saturday Paper, 17 January 2026
In this article, Stan Grant reflects on the emotional and political weight carried through a difficult Australian summer. His writing offers insight into the sadness and
unresolved tension beneath our public discourse, while still insisting on thoughtful engagement rather than withdrawal. A recurring theme in Grant’s work is the emotional fallout of the 2023 Voice referendum. The silence, the unresolved grief, the sense of unfinished business. He suggests that the country has not yet found a way to speak honestly about what happened or what it revealed.
I make these suggestions for reading and viewing because understanding where we live matters, and because we should remain open to the possibility that more can and should be done.
Madeleine Treacy-Maclean is the Assistant Secretary of the Evatt Foundation.