Darryn
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.
Darryn is in his 60s and lives with anxiety and depression. He is a recently-retired disability support worker.
‘I actually had a job that I liked with an NDIS provider, and because I complained about some health and safety issues there … I got the sack,’ Darryn told the Royal Commission.
Before the introduction of the NDIS, Darryn ran a hostel that provided accommodation for people with disability.
‘The hostel operated on 85 per cent of the pension, and for that 85 per cent of the pension we provided everything, all right?’
Darryn said that since the introduction of the NDIS, more service providers are chasing ‘a shitload of money at the end of the rainbow’.
‘After having run a private hostel for 12 years on a shoestring, to see how money is poured into getting very little outcome these days is disappointing.’
Darryn says, in his experience, service providers employ poorly-trained staff with inadequate qualifications. He said he recently finished what was supposed to be a year-long certificate course in about two months.
‘The problem with the course I did was everybody copied the answers from the board, all right? So, I complained to all sorts of government organisations … and nobody cared that people have qualifications that are meaningless.’
Darryn said there may be ‘hundreds, if not thousands’, of people working in the disability and aged care sectors that have qualifications that ‘aren't worth the toilet paper they're written on’.
‘But nobody cares. Nobody seems to think it's a problem. That to me is a bit sad.’
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.