On Australian Shores: Survivor Stories has been screening nationally on NITV since February 20th, 2023, with an introduction from Karla Grant, in the “Karla Grant Presents” programme. It is still available on and off on SBS On Demand - keep an eye out for it!

PROJECT SUMMARY

Dr Magali McDuffie and Dr Alexander Hayes of Ngikalikarra Media conducted personal interviews, produced, and edited this 54 minute documentary film over a three year period, listening to those directly and indirectly affected by the Agriculture Protection Board (APB) herbicide spraying programs across the East Kimberley and West Kimberley region of Western Australia. The film has been released under a CC BY 4.0 licence type and all members of the project and consultation teams acknowledged in an international social science context.

BACKGROUND

Through invitation, Dr Magali McDuffie and Dr Alexander Hayes of Ngikalikarra Media were invited to connect with individuals firstly to listen to their account of the effects of the use of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T, the active ingredients of Agent Orange, a dioxin, toxin and weapon of mass destruction. The first accounts from individuals focussed on the loss of children, cancers and numerous other medical conditions which affected those who were working with the Agriculture Protection Board (APB) which had an epicentre location in Derby, Western Australia.

The project was extended with generous sponsorship from the McCumstie and McCasker families, The Ngalla Maya Corporation, and The First Nations Homelessness Project, when it was identified that teams of young Aboriginal men were conscripted to spray without PPE gear in remote locations of Western Australia. The legacy of that government endorsed Agriculture Protection Board (APB) project is captured in this epic 52-minute documentary film, filmed and edited over many hundreds of hours, with constant community consultation. The Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council generously sponsored the final stages of the editing process.

THE STORY

On Australian Shores: Survivor Stories is a new documentary which will be aired nationally on NITV and SBS on Demand in February 2023, after SBS-NITV purchased the License Rights in June 2022.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Kimberley Aboriginal workers were involved in weed spraying campaigns organised by the Agricultural Protection Board of Western Australia. They received no training or protection equipment. They were told the chemicals they were mixing and spraying by hand were safe to use. Unbeknownst to them, they were spraying Agent Orange - a mixture of 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D herbicides.

Many healthy young Aboriginal men died in their thirties and forties, leaving behind heartbroken parents, partners, siblings, children, and communities. But the impact was not limited to them. The toxins they were spraying affected their wives, who suffered miscarriages and could not have children, and their own children, who were in contact with their clothes. Aunty Lena Buckle, from Derby, lost a daughter, a son, and a grandson. Many of the survivors today have suffered from cancers and other conditions. Many of their grandchildren are also affected, some born with malformations. Senior Nyikina Elder Lucy Marshall AM campaigned for the victims of Agent Orange in the Kimberley, until her death - she received an Order of Australia Medal for her tireless efforts. She passed away in 2021, without the answers she was seeking, having lost a son, a grandson, and a nephew. Some of her son's organs are still held in a facility in Perth - against Aboriginal cultural protocols.

Two government enquiries were held in 2003 (led by Dr Andrew Harper) and 2004 (led by Dr Bruce Armstrong). Cancer sufferers were promised compensation - none of the other ailments or deaths were attributed to the use of Agent Orange. The ABC covered the story in a 2014 Four Corners Programme (Chemical Time Bomb). Repeated calls for compensation and recognition of the victims have fallen on deaf ears, due to the statute of limitations.

This important documentary gives voice to 42 people, survivors, family and community members, so that their stories are not forgotten.

PRE-SCREENING CONSULTATION 1

Broome, Western Australia

Wednesday, 21st November 2018
Hall 1 - Lotteries House, Cable Beach Road, Broome, Western Australia
Opening 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM - FREE ENTRY
Download flyer - PDF

PRE-SCREENING CONSULTATION 2

Derby, Western Australia

Friday, 23 November 2018
Civic Centre, Loch Street, Derby, Western Australia
Opening 6:30PM - 9:00 PM - FREE ENTRY
Download Flyer - PDF

MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Sydney Criminal Lawyers - An interview with Paul Gregoire - 28th April 2022

Podcast - Goolarri Media with Sandy Dann - Western Australia - 14th November 2018

Radio Show - ABC Kimberley ‘ Morning Show’ with Vanessa Mills - 20th November, 2018

Article - National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), April 2022