About the film
Welcome to Australia is a 1999 documentary television film from Carlton Television, made in the United Kingdom and Australia. Alan Lowery directed and produced the film, while John Pilger wrote, presented and produced it. In English, the documentary examines injustices faced by Aboriginal Australian sportsmen and women.
Its central subject is their exclusion from Australia’s Olympic teams, a denial that continued until relatively recently. The film presents this history through the experiences of Aboriginal athletes and the wider sporting system that kept them from Olympic representation. Welcome to Australia is classified as both a documentary film and a documentary television film.
The entry identifies Alan Lowery as its maker and director, and John Pilger as a producer. Released in 1999, it offers a focused look at discrimination in Australian sport and the consequences for Aboriginal competitors seeking recognition on national teams.
Who it is for
This suits viewers interested in Aboriginal Australian history, discrimination in sport and Olympic representation. It may also help students studying Australian society, television documentaries or sports history.
Worth knowing
- Examines injustices faced by Aboriginal athletes
- Focuses on exclusion from Australia’s Olympic teams
- Directed and produced by Alan Lowery
- Presented and written by John Pilger
- Available in English
Before you press play
- Addresses historical discrimination and exclusion
- Released in 1999
The short of it
Welcome to Australia is a focused documentary about Aboriginal athletes denied Olympic opportunities. Its subject and historical framing make it relevant for viewers exploring Australian sport, representation and social injustice.