Intervention 2 Years On (2010)

This documentary was refused by ABC TV for broadcast, deemed "biased" and unbalanced. In July 2007, John Howard initiated the Intervention legislation. Two years later, a United Nations human rights rapporteur, Professor James Anaya, called the policy an "extraordinary measure" that violated Indigenous rights. The film features two Aboriginal speakers – Barbara Shaw from Mount Nancy Town Camp, Alice Springs, and Richard Downs from the Alyawarr Nation – sharing their perspectives on the legislation's impact during its initial two years. Their accounts are interwoven with archival footage and news reports documenting key moments in the Intervention's history. Richard Downs highlights the shame caused by Howard's unsubstantiated claims of child abuse in Aboriginal communities, and the disappointment felt by many with the Rudd government's continuation of these policies.