'I was made to feel ashamed of my Aboriginality': Linda Burney

Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney is arguably the nation's most powerful Aboriginal figure — she still remembers when her teachers made her feel very small.

Ms Burney says she still vividly remembers what her school teacher tried to teach her about Aboriginal history. Source: Twitter

Minister Linda Burney said while Australia is making progress in telling the truth about our shared history, there is still a journey ahead.

"There is still so far to go with truth telling, which is why we as a nation, we as a parliament, will embark on a truth telling process," she told NITV's The Point program.

She said she still vividly remembers the history lessons she was taught in high school, and how it made her feel.

"I was 13 or 12 and made to feel absolutely ashamed of my Aboriginality," she said.

"I remember it so clearly it was a social studies lesson. And I was taught that Aboriginal people were the closest example to stone age men living on Earth today.

"I was taught that we had no culture. I was taught that we were nomadic and just roamed around wherever we wanted to.

"And I was taught that we had no science or technology, which of course is absolute rubbish, but that's what I was taught."

I have to say that it had the effect of making me feel so ashamed I wanted to turn into a piece of paper and slip through the cracks in the floor.

Linda Burney, Indigenous Australians Minister

War Memorial recognition

Minister Burney made the comments in a wide-ranging interview, which comes amid NITV's screening of the landmark documentary series The Australian Wars, by filmmaker Rachel Perkins.

Filmmaker Rachel Perkins called for an end to the Great Silence of Australia's history including recognition at the Australian War Memorial. Source: NITV

Following the broadcast, the Australian War Memorial has committed to a "much broader, deeper" depiction of the frontier wars.

Minister Burney said things had changed since her school days, and she was "thrilled" the War Memorial "will be reflecting the true history of this country and the wars that were fought on this land by our people for their land".

Tune into NITV's The Point program at 7.30pm tonight, or later on SBS and SBS On Demand.