By the early nineteenth century, British expansion across Australia created intense conflict between settlers and Aboriginal peoples, especially in regions such as New South Wales and Wiradjuri Country. The doctrine of terra nullius denied Indigenous land ownership and sovereignty, allowing settlers to seize land without negotiation or legal consequence. As settlers expanded inland after the crossing of the Blue Mountains, Aboriginal communities faced the destruction of sacred sites, loss of hunting grounds, and violence against their people. Resistance leaders such as Pemulwuy and Windradyne organized raids and guerrilla tactics in response to land dispossession and settler aggression. In 1824, Governor Thomas Brisbane’s declaration of martial law escalated the conflict by legalizing lethal force against Aboriginal resistance and removing any form of legal protection. The imbalance of power, lack of representation, and refusal to recognize Indigenous sovereignty have pushed the frontier into sustained violence, making land ownership and legal authority urgent and unresolved issues threatening stability across the colony.

British colonization not only brought military conflict but also a deep cultural crisis for Aboriginal peoples, as colonial authorities viewed Indigenous societies as primitive and incompatible with the empire. Missionaries and colonial institutions worked to suppress Aboriginal languages, spiritual practices, and kinship systems through forced assimilation, mission schools, and the removal of children from their families. Sacred sites, ceremonies, and oral traditions were destroyed or criminalized, while Christianity and European customs were imposed as tools of moral justification. Despite this repression, Aboriginal communities continued to resist culturally by preserving languages, passing down traditions in secret, and adapting rituals to survive under colonial scrutiny. By 1824, the destruction of cultural identity has become systematic, backed by government authority and religious institutions. The colony now faces the question of whether Indigenous culture will be erased entirely or recognized and protected, making cultural survival a central issue that demands immediate attention.

Prithvi Chakraborty, a junior at Maggie Walker, is very excited and honored to chair the Australian Frontier Wars Committee this year! Previously serving as a vice chair of the NFL Committee at GSMUNXXVI and co-chair of the NFL committee at GSMUN XXVII, along with being an award-winning delegate at high school and collegiate conferences such as WMHSMUN and VTMUNC, he is excited to witness thoughtful debates and discussions. At school, Prithvi is on the Varsity Tennis team, co-director of technology for the Jabberwock, reporter for the MLWGS TSA chapter, and event organizer for the Spanish Club. In his free time, Prithvi enjoys playing the electric guitar, practicing Shotokan Karate, and traveling the world. He can’t wait to meet all the delegates in March and looks forward to a wonderful, productive committee!

Ethan Xing, a sophomore at Maggie Walker Governor’s School, is thrilled to chair the Australia Frontier Wars Committee this year. Now in his fourth year of Model UN, Ethan has competed and earned awards at conferences from the high school level to the international stage. Most recently he served as a Crisis Director for GSMUN XXVII’s five-way JCC. Outside of MUN, he is a deputy editor for The Jabberwock, head of fundraising for FRC Team 422: The Mech Tech Dragons, and a student leader with the MLWGS chapter of RAMPSRVA. In his free time, Ethan enjoys reading books from Churchill, trying new foods, and traveling internationally, and he is excited to meet all the delegates this February and can’t wait to engage with them and see the outcomes of an enormously impactful committe