Rachel Perkins on her hopes for SBS series The Australian Wars

Filmmaker and Arrernte/Kalkadoon woman Rachel Perkins, the creative force behind The Australian Wars, the groundbreaking series looking at the bloody history of European settlement, hopes the program will help Australians understand why First Nations peoples believe a Voice to Parliament is important.

Perkins spoke to Crikey on the eve of the airing of the final episode of the three-part series on SBS Demand. She hoped the series would help Australians better understand why First Nations peoples had the aspirations outlined in the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

“I hope that this documentary series, by bringing the past to the front of mind of some of the nation — at least those who view it — that they will understand more clearly those aspirations,” Perkins said. “And they will be able to walk in our shoes and see history from our point of view.”