Synopsis

After the Apology looks at what has happened in the years since the 2008 speech which stopped the nation by the then Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd. It shocks many people to learn that the number of Aboriginal children being removed today by welfare agencies is much higher than during the time of the Stolen Generations.

After the Apology is a landmark documentary exploring the continued practice of child removal and the community response as it follows the steps being taken by the community through grass-roots advocates like Grandmothers Against Removal (GMAR) to make a change.

The documentary tells the story of the incredible advocates working across Australia in the area of child removal, as it gives a voice to 4 grandmothers who sparked a national movement to reunite Aboriginal families in the hope of reuniting with their grand-babies:

• Sue Ellen thought the Department of Community Services (DOCS) would only remove children in extreme cases, until her own grandchildren were taken in the middle of the night.
• Hazel decided to take on the DOCS system after her fourth grandchild was taken into state care.
• Jen Swan expected to continue to care for her grandchildren but DOCS deemed her unsuitable, a shock not just to her but to her sister, Deb, who was, at the time, a DOCS worker.

Asked about what she wants audiences to take away from the film, Larissa replied that "For non-Indigenous audiences, I'd like them to be angry and to know that the Apology didn't mean that the issue was over. For Indigenous audiences, that you are not alone and if we fight together, we can make change."

Donna's story

Aunty Audrey's story is available as an MP3.

About the director

Prof. Larissa Behrendt is a Eualeyai/Kamillaroi woman. She is the Professor of Law and Director of Research at the Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning at the University of Technology, Sydney. She is admitted to the Supreme Court of the ACT and NSW as a barrister.Larissa is a Land Commissioner at the Land and Environment Court and the Alternate Chair of the Serious Offenders Review Board, a member of the Academy of Social Sciences of Australia and a founding member of the Australian Academy of Law. She is the Chair of the Humanities and Creative Arts panel of the Australian Research Council College of Experts. She is the author of several books on Indigenous legal issues. She won the 2002 David Unaipon Award and a 2005 Commonwealth Writer's Prize for her novel Home. Her latest novel, Legacy, is due for release in October this year. Larissa is a Board Member of the Museum of Contemporary Art, a board member of Tranby Aboriginal College and a Director of the Bangarra Dance Theatre. She was named as 2009 NAIDOC Person of the Year.