Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the plan this week to provide $6.7 million to the Australian National Maritime Museum so it can send a replica of the HMS Endeavour on the “re-enactment” of his circumnavigation.
But Cook only charted the East Coast – Matthew Flinders was actually the first person to circumnavigate Australia accompanied by indigenous leader Bungaree.
The PM later corrected himself, but it was too late – the hashtag #ThingsCookDid began trending on Twitter as Aussies gave the PM a history lesson and slammed the project’s cost.
The funding for the voyage comes from a whopping $48.7 million fund set aside to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Cook’s arrival Down Under.
However, the PM says the 14-month journey is worth the expense because it’ll be “great for tourism” and “a great opportunity just to talk about our history”.
Just as long as that discussion includes our Indigenous history too – and the importance of teaching our history to all Australians.
