Shattered – Episode 1: Origins of Control
Nation Built On Industrial Towns
Before there were forms, legislation and disputes, there was a simple understanding: when people were injured doing the work that built our communities, they shouldn't face the consequences alone.
Across Australia, industrial towns were shaped by coal miners, steelworkers, power station employees and railway workers. Their labour built prosperity, but it also carried risk.
In return, society made a promise.
When injury occurred, people would be supported.
More than a century later, that promise still matters.
Returning To Lithgow
I returned to Lithgow, the town where my own story began.
It is a place shaped by industry, resilience and loss. Blast furnaces, mines and power stations provided livelihoods for generations, but they also left families carrying the consequences of dangerous work.
Through local histories and personal memories, Episode One remembers the people behind the statistics and asks what has been gained—and what may have been forgotten—as systems evolved over time.
Sometimes, understanding where we are going means returning to where we began.
The Search For Answers
I picked up a camera and taught myself filmmaking later in life out of sheer exasperation. The workplace injury was one thing. What followed was something else entirely. Years later, decisions were still being made about me. Consequences were still unfolding. The more I searched for answers, the more questions I had.
As I looked more closely, I realised I was not alone.
Many injured people find themselves navigating a system they do not understand, nor are adequately informed about, with decisions being made that profoundly affect their health, livelihoods and futures. Their voice can be difficult to find within processes that seem far removed from the realities of injury and recovery.
Too often, people are expected to make decisions without fully understanding their rights, their options or the likely consequences. Instead, they are left to figure it out as they go. That is no way to run a system. And it is no way to live a life.
What began as an attempt to understand my own experience became a broader inquiry into workplace injury, recovery and the systems that shape both.I had never made a documentary before.
I hope these stories, together with the perspectives of historians, clinicians, lawyers and others featured in the film, help people better understand the human consequences of workplace injury and what can happen when systems lose sight of the people they were created to serve. Shattered is the result.
The Harm We Rarely See
Shattered began as an exploration of the experiences of five women navigating the workers' compensation system. But as the project unfolded, a different story emerged.
Again and again, we encountered evidence suggesting that the impact of workplace injury often extends far beyond the original event itself. Families were affected. Relationships changed. Communities felt the strain. The consequences reached well beyond gender.
As psychiatrist Dr Julian Parmegiani observes, some injured workers experience psychological harm associated not only with their workplace injury, but also with the systems they encounter afterwards.
Yet these experiences are rarely part of the public conversation.
We talk about preventing workplace injuries, and rightly so. But we speak far less about what happens when people are injured, how they are supported, and what recovery truly requires.
Shattered is not about assigning blame. It is an invitation to look more closely, to listen, and to start conversations in our homes, workplaces and communities.
Because meaningful change rarely begins inside institutions alone.
It begins when people understand what is happening, care enough to talk about it, and decide that those who are injured should not be left to carry the burden alone.
Stories From Around Australia
From New South Wales to Victoria, Queensland and beyond, people invited us into their homes and shared experiences that are rarely spoken about publicly.
Their stories are different. Yet common threads emerge.
The impact of injury extends beyond the workplace. It affects relationships, identities, finances, communities and futures.
These accounts reveal not only suffering, but extraordinary courage, humour, persistence and care.
They remind us that recovery is rarely a straight line—and that no one should walk it alone.
How Do We Help Our Injured?
Episode 1 begins in Lithgow, a town built on industry, work and community.
From there, Shattered explores how Australia has responded to workplace injury over time, tracing the evolution of the systems, institutions and ideas created to support people when work causes harm.
As communities have changed, expectations have changed too. We now understand far more about the social, psychological and economic consequences of injury than previous generations.
Yet important questions remain. How do we support people when work causes harm? How do we balance care, recovery and sustainability? How do we help individuals and families navigate disruption without becoming overwhelmed by the systems intended to support them?
Shattered does not claim to have the answers. It is simply an invitation to think more deeply about what happens after workplace injury — and about the role we all play in helping people find their way forward.