Because A White Man'll Never Do It

Because A White Man'll Never Do It by Kevin Gilbert is a powerful exposé of past and present race relations in Australia. It is an alarming story of land theft, attempted racial extermination, oppression, denial of human rights, slavery, ridicule, denigration, inequality, and paternalism.

First published in 1973, Gilbert's controversial account of Aboriginal affairs paints a disturbing image of the impact of the colonisation of Australia and the ongoing problems faced by the Aboriginal people. The book poses a solution directly addressing what Indigenous people really want: land, compensation, discreet non-dictatorial help, and, most of all, to be left alone by white Australia.

Gilbert's vivid, personal, and widely shared experiences of race relations in Australia formed the basis of his long and enduring struggle for Aboriginal rights up until his death in 1993. Written with the hope of provoking a galvanisation of his People, Gilbert brings together the voices and memories of various Aborigines. Demonstrating his vision for justice and equality, Gilbert's arguments are still immensely significant and relevant to both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians today.

"…this book is one of the best political books on land rights ever written... Read his words and find an original and Aboriginal thinker who wrote from the heartlands of the Australian spirit" - Mudrooroo