The coalition first mounted the intervention in 2007 in response to allegations of widespread child sexual abuse in central Australia, claims which remain highly contested.
Former Indigenous health minister and member for Lingiari Warren Snowdon said that within the party he fought the decision to extend the policy.
"I argued and argued and argued against it," he told the Garma Festival in Arnhem Land on Sunday.
At its core, the intervention was wrong
"The decision was taken to support it, therefore as a trooper and a part of the team that's what I did. But at the same time I was extremely critical of every element of it, and I remain critical of it."
He said things would have been very different had there been any consultation with communities before the intervention policies were implemented.
"It was just a gross imposition on the rights of individuals, their communities and families," Mr Snowdon said.
"At its core, the intervention was wrong."
He said Aboriginal organisations were gutted by the intervention and Aboriginal men were demonised, which has caused ongoing problems in communities, but he did not apologise for Labor's decision: "I don't apologise, I say we shouldn't have done those things."
It was just a gross imposition on the rights of individuals, their communities and families
Northern Territory Senator Nova Peris said the aftershocks of the intervention continue to vibrate.
"It changed the face of how Australia sees Aboriginal people because we were painted with the one bloody brush stroke and that's still what happens, we've never recovered from it," she said.
Yolgnu artist Yananymul Mununggur said the intervention brought nothing to Aboriginal communities.
"Intervention brought more anger, more sadness, more sorrow ... government just came in and took away all our rights and left us with nothing," she said.
Intervention brought more anger, more sadness, more sorrow ... government just came in and took away all our rights and left us with nothing
"Intervention was another way of alienating Yolngu people from this country, we were like aliens to the government who were treating us like second class citizens."
Alan Tudge, parliamentary secretary to the prime minister, said the nature of the emergency response meant there wasn't the time to do necessary consultation with indigenous communities, which he said should have been done.
