New book reveals names of those who led frontier massacres

A new book exploring the violent expansion of the colonies into the continent’s north will introduce readers to those who led massacres of Aboriginal people, the names of their benefactors, and how these horrific events occurred.

Written by Dr Robyn Smith, a Lecturer at Charles Darwin University (CDU) in Colonial History, Licence to Kill: massacre men of Australia’s north, details the massacres from 1824 until the 1980s.

Under the administration of the colonies of New South Wales and South Australia, massacres were a regular occurrence, despite persistent denials.

Dr Smith reveals not only the perpetrators of massacres, but also their enablers, both public and private.

Dr Robyn Smith’s new book exposes the perpetrators of massacres, and their benefactors and enablers. Source: Supplied / Charles Darwin University

She demonstrates how colonialism was subtly perpetuated by the conferral of high civic honour on many of the actors, noting that these are embedded as place names across the landscape.

“It may surprise people to learn that police were not the principal perpetrators,” Dr Smith said.

“They were most certainly involved, but there were too few of them to cover the Territory, and they were vastly under-resourced.

“Those circumstances facilitated relentless human hunting expeditions in the pursuit of land and profit.”

The book is the culmination of Dr Smith’s years of research on colonial frontier massacres across the north of Australia, particularly in the Northern Territory, as part of the

mapping team led by the late Professor Lyndall Ryan.

Data in 2022 revealed at least 10,000 Indigenous people were killed in 416 massacres between 1780 and 1930.

Licence to Kill: massacre men of Australia’s north is available online at

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