Threlkeld has featured in the Australian history wars for his reports concerning Aboriginal massacres, such as the Waterloo Creek massacre. Keith Windschuttle argues that Threlkeld inflated numbers of the dead to gain support for his mission proposals.
Threlkeld has been part of the historical debates about Aboriginal massacres, such as the Waterloo Creek massacre. Keith Windschuttle suggests that Threlkeld overestimated the number of casualties to support his mission ideas.