Synopsis

Midnight Oil perform "Truganini" in a stark, urban setting shaped by New York landmarks, with Peter Garrett and the band appearing amid streets, industrial spaces, and footage filmed beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. A female dancer adds a contrasting physical presence, moving through the performance-driven imagery as the song's references to Aboriginal history, colonization, and Australian identity give the clip a charged political atmosphere. Rather than presenting a literal historical narrative, the video uses the band's intensity, location, and movement to connect the song's Australian subject matter with an international audience.

Factoids & Trivia

• Two versions of the video were produced in 1993: an Australian version and a US version. The US edition was made for the band's American campaign.

• The US video shoot took place in New York, including locations beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. Fans were invited to take part, and some later recalled winning places in the shoot.

• Dancer Nicolle Bradford appears alongside the band in the US version.

• The song became one of Midnight Oil's most successful international singles, reaching No. 10 in Australia, No. 4 on the US Modern Rock chart, and No. 29 in the United Kingdom.

• The video's release coincided with controversy over the single's liner notes, which repeated the inaccurate claim that Truganini had been the last surviving Tasmanian Aboriginal person. Peter Garrett later apologized for the error.

• "Truganini" was promoted in the United States during a major 1993 campaign that also included an appearance on "Saturday Night Live" and the band's MTV Unplugged activities.