Nyla
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
‘I am now not able to work my casual job I was previously doing before this all started, and don't fall within the JobKeeper guides so I am left to fend for myself and struggle to get through.’
Nyla looks after a relative’s child and four children of her own, one of whom has a disability. Her husband has a job and Nyla claims a carer payment, but the family has always struggled to make ends meet in their rural location. Nyla told the Royal Commission she feels people with disabilities have been treated unfairly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the lockdown, the kids have been home from school, with extra money needed for food, electricity and internet expenses. Nyla has also been forced to travel more frequently for groceries and the occasional long-distance hunt for toilet paper.
Other government support payments have been boosted during the crisis, Nyla points out, but the carer’s payment, Disability Support Pension and age pension have all remained the same. Her expenses and needs have risen during the crisis, just like everyone else’s, but she has been given no extra help. She feels ignored by the government.
‘In all honesty I feel [that] carers do take a lot of the strain off our public systems and facilities, yet we are paid below the poverty line at slavery payments … Over how many years has everyday living and utility costs risen, yet the aged pension, carers’ and DSP payments have not been adjusted accordingly?
‘As winter approaches, and with extra costs we as just one family have endured, I am not sure we will be able to heat our home through winter, or buy the food we need to survive as we still have to pay our mortgage and medication costs [and] animal feed … so how do I make the choice of what I do pay for and what I don't, as to me they all fall under the essentials list for my family?’
Nyla would like to see fortnightly supplementary payments made to carers, DSP (Disability Support Pension) recipients and age pensioners during the COVID-19 crisis, and she would like to see it backdated. ‘We should have been included from the start.’
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.