It seems a benign observation: that the topic which rouses the greatest passions in the hearts and minds of Australians is our history. Of course, any discussion of history is a dialogue about who we are. History and identity are inseparable: First Fleet, rugged explorers, Federation, Anzac and hard working, larrikin Australians.

You might notice that the orthodox telling flatters settler Australia as paragons of loyalty and prodigious industry. We are diggers and battlers who yearn for a fair shake of the sauce bottle, mate. This fair-dinkum telling of our story assures us that we are light-hearted and fair-minded. The dissonance is extreme. We lead the world in Indigenous incarceration and think it equitable. We treat asylum seekers with miserable cruelty and consider ourselves benevolent. We pay lip service to harmony while tuning into after-dark talkshows flaunting thinly veiled contempt of minorities.