Professor Clare Wright OAM joins Daniel James to discuss her new book, Näku Dhäruk: The Bark Petitions. An award-winning historian and public commentator, Naku Dharuk tells the powerful story of the Yirrkala Bark Petitions, created by the Yolŋu people of northeast Arnhem Land in 1963—a year marked by global civil rights movements. This pivotal document not only shaped Australian democracy but also reflects the ancient culture of Australia’s First Peoples. Clare states, “I feel like the story found me, and once I found a story to tell there, I couldn’t look away.”

As the concluding volume of her Democracy Trilogy, which began with The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka and continued with You Daughters of Freedom, Naku Dharuk reveals the genesis of the right to be heard in Australia. This powerful narrative connects the Bark Petitions to the modern Uluru Statement era, tackling the complex themes of power, subjugation, and coexistence.

Clare holds a PhD in Australian Studies from The University of Melbourne and is the Professor of History and Public Engagement at La Trobe University.