australian politics

9 movies and shows

The Legend of Fred Paterson

Tue, 09 Apr 1996

The story of Fred Paterson, member for Bowen in the Queensland parliament in the 1940s and the only Communist Party member ever elected to any Australian parliament.

Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line

Thu, 04 Jul 2024

Across a 45-year career ‘The Oils’ helped shape modern Australia with anthems like “US Forces”, “Beds Are Burning” and “Redneck Wonderland”. Featuring unseen footage and interviews with every band member, alongside signature moments including the outback tour with Warumpi Band, their Exxon protest gig in New York and those famous “Sorry” suits at the Sydney Olympics, Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line traces the journey of Australia’s quintessential rock band.

A Royal Commission Into The Australian Economy

Wed, 05 May 1993

Dame Victoria Market, under instructions from the Queen, holds an enquiry into why the Australian ecconomy does not work.

Hinterborough

Wed, 01 Mar 2023

A small Australian island town burned to a cinder one night. Why? In this short you will learn about the history of the autonomous municipality of Hinterborough. A broadcaster breaks down the reasons the preventable disaster that ravaged the island took hold.

Joh: Last King of Queensland

Sat, 07 Jun 2025

Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen reigned over Queensland for 19 tumultuous years (1968–1987). Hugely popular, he presided over enormous growth, but corruption raged under his tenure, as did electoral manipulation and often violent suppression of dissent. This film tells Joh’s story through rare archival footage and revelatory interviews, exploring a life shaped by a hard yakka, god-fearing upbringing on his family’s farm. Trump’s spectre is evoked in Joh’s famously mangled and meandering way of speaking – brilliantly dramatised by Richard Roxburgh – alongside his unyielding execution of power and the desperate denial of his final days in office.

Curtin

Sat, 21 Apr 2007

1941. A country in crisis. A new man in power. Leadership demands and personal demons are set to collide. The story of John Curtin as he faces his first six months as Prime Minister, confronting in quick succession, the tragedy of Pearl Harbour, the fall of Singapore, the bombing of Darwin and a furious battle with Churchill over the deployment of Australian troops. This is a raw and intimate story of a driven and inspirational leader - a man who struggles to battle his own personal demons while serving and protecting a country at war.