- Port Arthur massacre survivor voices concern about upcoming film
- Port Arthur massacre a story that must be told, not buried
- We don't need a film about mass murderer Martin Bryant
- Garry Linnell visited Martin Bryant in prison. He wants us all to revisit Port Arthur
Should Justin Kurzel direct a film that shows the life of Martin Bryant?
In April of 1996, Martin Bryant went to Port Arthur - an open air museum in Tasmania - and shot 35 people dead, injuring 23 others. His victims were men, women and children, and his crime was the worst publicly documented mass murder in Australia’s history. Bryant pleaded guilty to his crimes and is spending several life sentences in Risdon Prison in Tasmania. At the time, Bryant claimed that he was trying to “do something that will make everyone remember” him. After these crimes were committed, the Australian government made drastic changes to the gun laws in Australia. The Alannah and Madeline Foundation, a charity that works to prevent violence against children, was also created in the aftermath of these murders. The foundation was established by the father of Alannah and Madeline, who were six and three when they were killed by Bryant. Many people have argued that we should remember victims such as these, rather than the criminal, who was a disturbed and destructive man.