Couldn’t Be Fairer

Couldn't Be Fairer is a 1984 Australian documentary film directed by Dennis O'Rourke, which paints a disturbing portrait of aboriginal life in Queensland, Australia in the 1980s. The title is from a 1983 statement regarding aboriginal people by then Premier of Queensland, Joh Bjelke-Petersen: "We treat them the same as everyone else – couldn't be fairer." Aboriginal activist Mick Miller narrates and features in the film, which reveals how native Australian people are still suffering from social oppression and alcoholism. Aboriginal land rights are a central theme: Miller clearly demonstrates the contrast between modern civilization, which values land only as a resource to mined, grazed and developed, and traditional people who regard...