In his 2013 Whitlam Oration, Noel Pearson quoted John Cleese and Michael Palin’s Jewish insurgents ranting against the despotic rule of Rome: “What have the Romans done for us anyway?” The reference provided Pearson with a pretext to list the achievements of the Whitlam government, and specifically what it had achieved for indigenous Australians. Among the benefits Pearson listed were the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, needs-based schools funding, student financial assistance and Aboriginal land rights. He singled out the Whitlam government’s educational reforms for particular praise, for without them, Pearson suggested, he would not have become the man he is.…