Shattered began as a self-funded project created and directed by Kathie Melocco — not as an established filmmaker, but as a former injured worker determined to document the harm she witnessed inside Australia’s workers’ compensation system. The initial funding came from an outcome related to her own case, not from privilege or favour, but from circumstance — just enough to begin the project independently and focus attention on the human impact being ignored.

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Outraged by the treatment she and others experienced, Kathie picked up a camera, enrolled in film school, and learned documentary filmmaking in real time — driven by necessity rather than ambition. Through the process, she learned how to scale a story for wider audiences, international documentary platforms, and contemporary streaming services. Shattered is captured in 4K on Sony cinema bodies using Sigma Art primes, a 25–70mm and 70–200mm lens kit, with aerial coverage captured by drone — a fully streamer-compliant acquisition package.

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Since September 2023, she has put in countless unpaid hours researching and filming as the story continued to unfold — creating a historical record of the moment when Australia’s workers’ compensation crisis finally entered the public narrative and shifted from the financial pages into the lounge rooms of everyday Australians.

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As the investigation widened, new evidence emerged about systemic failure, automation and algorithms, and the political and financial forces shaping the system. What began as a gender story arc grew into a broader exploration of the structures governing harm in Australia.

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For the first time, someone stepped outside the meeting rooms, reports, and inquiry transcripts and travelled across Australia — camera in hand — to speak directly with the people living inside this crisis. Kathie visited families, GPs, psychologists, lawyers, employers, injured workers and whole communities affected by the system.

No one had ever documented these stories at scale or with this level of direct, on-the-ground engagement. What emerged from those conversations was unmistakable: a system built not to heal, but to harm.

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Shattered was created because people have been speaking for so long — employers, injured workers, families, providers, and inquiry after inquiry — yet real change has remained out of reach. And when you step back, the pattern becomes unmistakable: you cannot change what you do not understand, and while we have not unravelled the entire system — no one can, and that is part of the problem — we have uncovered fractures that continue to compound harm year after year.

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In mid-2024, Ballina Gee — an injured worker who expressed interest in gaining experience in documentary filmmaking — contributed many hours in a voluntary capacity, offering lived-experience and advocacy insight. Her contribution is acknowledged with appreciation, as are the voluntary contributions of others who supported the project during its development.

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In 2025, additional professional support was brought in as required to complete production.

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Like many real-world documentaries, Shattered has moved through multiple phases of research, filming, pausing, reshaping, and reflection — influenced by trauma, funding limitations, and a rapidly shifting political landscape.

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Along the way, both the filmmaking process and the industry itself revealed more than expected. The realities of documentary production — its intensity, emotional weight, and financial burden — required raising additional capital just to complete the project.

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To help raise the capital needed to keep filming and complete the project, Kathie and Ballina created a small moral injury training film in late 2024. The moral injury training film was separate work created by Kathie and Ballina — a standalone project drawn from Kathie’s lived experience. Although entirely distinct from Shattered in content and purpose, the small amount of income it generated helped support the continuation of Shattered’s production. Like many independent filmmakers, we did what we had to do to keep the project moving. It did not make a profit.

Kathie reinvested her portion directly into progressing Shattered’s production, while Ballina used her portion to meet day-to-day living needs.

 

By late June, Ballina travelled overseas, and her practical involvement with Shattered came to a close.

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Despite many obstacles and heartaches, the documentary eventually moved forward with clarity and purpose.

 

Not a single insurer, despite their significant profits, offered assistance — which, in retrospect, may have preserved the film’s independence.

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The film’s direction and final content remained entirely in the hands of the production team.

Everyone will be impacted by what they see and learn.

 

Shattered is being positioned for release to major documentary platforms following festival screenings.