Thousands of aboriginals killed in violent

massacres

April 2025 More than 10,000 First Nations people killed in Australia’s frontier wars, final massacre map shows. A recent study found that over 10,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were killed in violent conflicts during Australia’s colonisation. The Colonial Frontier Massacres project, which maps violent conflicts during Australia’s colonisation, mapped 438 massacres across the country with most attacks carried out by police and settlers, often with government approval. Led by the late Dr Lyndall Ryan, who was posthumously honoured in the 2025 Australia Day awards, the project was completed in 2022, but has since been further developed through volunteer research, refining details and confirming the scale of violence. Historian Bill Pascoe said the findings have changed how Australia understands its past, making it impossible to deny the extent of frontier violence. Researchers hope this project encourages further study and greater public recognition of this history and its ongoing effects.

Greek Tribune Adelaide, South Australia