Hi, I’m Charles McGavin. I started Broken System Productions back in 2019 primarily to give families who were not being afforded even basic levels of fairness, a voice, within the family court and child protection systems.
I became an advocate for many of these families and I learned about how they were simply being “processed” through an unjust system. It became clear to me that money and power overrode simple decency in these jurisdictions.
As time progressed, I learned more about the Australian political environment and Australian corporate governance. It became clear to me that the so-called lucky country was not lucky at all for many Australians.
I started writing about what I had observed and put my writing in a way that seemed to resonate with many people. Those writings form the body of work between 2019 and 2021 that I have decided to keep on this site for historical and reference purposes. I have tidied them up a bit, but their context still remains.
I could see that there was a need for what I was writing about, but things just became so overwhelming with so many families seeking help that my research and writing began to suffer and I found myself not having time for it. So the site fell into a state of disrepair, not having regular updates.
Throughout this time of course we were contending with COVID. I connected with many people across the country and it became very apparent that it wasn’t just the family court and child protection sectors that were affected by injustice, misconduct, and corruption, it is every government sector. This includes all state and federal government departments and I have even had dealings with local government.
It became apparent that I needed to extend the reach of what I was covering and include anything that had any kind of government involvement.
During the first incarnation of the site I set up the child protection caseworker review system. It was extraordinarily well received by those who had active child protection cases because it allowed them to see what other people had experienced with a particular caseworker. But it was not well received by the government. In fact, the Victorian DHHS tried to shut the site down. Of course, they failed and I simply moved it from one jurisdiction to another, with better freedom of speech laws.
The caseworker review system, because of its utility, remains. I encourage those with active child protection cases to review their caseworkers, whether those reviews are good or bad. All I ask is that you be fair-minded when giving your review.
As of 2023, there are a bunch of new initiatives as well. I have added a membership system. What this enables you to do is use an email address to log in and post reviews or comments on posts. The sheer amount of SPAM I was receiving has necessitated this unfortunately.
I have added a newsletter which I will send out monthly. I know you probably hate being spammed as much as I do, so I decided that once a month was a good compromise. If you really don’t want to receive it, then there is an unsubscribe link at the bottom.
I have added the ability to review the performance of any government worker, or any worker in private practice who provides services on behalf of the government. This includes health workers, teachers, lawyers, magistrates and judges, prison officers…etc. The success of the caseworker review system indicated this kind of review system was needed across the board. It is another reason to become a member of the site.
One of the things that I saw as being necessary was the need for those who had experiences with the system to be able to tell their own stories. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard people be told “You should go to the media”. The problem is the media will not publish many of these stories. When they do, they are very careful to only tell the parts that will not dramatically portray the government in an adverse manner. What I say is the government should be held to account. If they have acted badly then the public has a right to know. As a member, I give you the ability to tell your story, if you want it told. As I am a journalist I can help you with it and make sure it is presented with journalistic fairness.
I have added a new section called The Vault. Access to The Vault is by invitation only. There are some things that can only be shared with those who are known and trusted. If you are seen to be interacting and adding to the community spirit that this site is intended to have, you may just receive an invitation.
And finally, I would like to add that I am not anti-government. I am not anti-child protection or child protection worker, or anti-anyone for that matter. Government and government workers are needed. There are some tremendous people in government roles in Australia. I am just as happy to tell your stories. I know you see some things that you know are not right as well. Just know that you will be treated with the utmost discretion and respect if you choose to make contact.
It is unfortunate that we need to expose the dark underbelly of Australian governments and the services they provide, but if we want to make this a better place for all it’s something we must do.