Piri
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.
Piri is in her 20s. A few years ago, after her relationship broke down, Piri became homeless.
‘I was under a lot of stress at the time and I probably wasn’t making the best decisions for myself,’ Piri told the Royal Commission.
Piri said that although she knew she wasn’t safe when she was homeless, she had made decisions not to live in certain places because of a ‘lack of cleanliness or [she] didn’t feel comfortable emotionally or mentally in that space’.
Piri self-harmed and was admitted to a hospital mental health unit for six months. Staff in the mental health unit believed she had an intellectual disability and wouldn’t let her leave the hospital.
‘So that’s when they put a guardian and a trustee on me … Because I wasn’t making decisions to get myself safe, I was put under guardianship, which I still to this day don’t approve of.’
While in hospital, Piri discovered she was pregnant. When she was discharged, she was placed in a private rental property for the duration of her pregnancy.
‘I was made to go [back] into hospital and … forced into a caesarean. I told my guardian that I didn’t want that caesarean and I wanted to give birth naturally and I knew what I was doing.’
Piri said there was no reason for a caesarean because her midwife said the baby was healthy and wasn’t breached. The guardian made the decision, ‘which has very badly traumatised’ Piri. Her baby was placed in foster care.
Piri’s guardian found a group home for her. At one time she tried to leave to see her parents. ‘The minute I stepped foot off that property I was thrown to the ground,’ she said.
‘I had to stay there. If I tried to take off and go somewhere else I was restrained basically which was really horrible … It was actually not a very nice place.’
Piri has since moved into her own apartment, but said the guardian and public trustee still control her life. She receives a disability pension and despite having thousands of dollars in personal savings, she told the Royal Commission, the public trustee gives her just $100 a week for food and hygiene products.
‘Sometimes that’s not enough and when I found myself not having food I’ve had to go to food places such as [charities], soup kitchens basically because I haven’t got food.’
Piri receives an NDIS package of more than a million dollars, but the money goes straight to her new provider. She has full-time support workers, but doesn’t understand how all that money is being spent.
‘One of the biggest things I want from my package [is] to help me with … learning how to live in the community and stuff like that because one of the biggest things that I need to do in order to get my son back is to learn to live in the community.’
Piri said she’s getting no help to do that. Her only activities are escorted trips to buy food, and to a park.
‘If I’m not getting that help with my current coordinator and guardian, I’m never going to spread my wings and live in the community myself. I’m never going to have my baby back.’
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.