Annalee
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.
‘It just upsets me that … in this day and age and in this country that people with disability are not treated better.’
Annalee is in her 50s and lives with fibromyalgia, trauma, anxiety and depression.
‘I know what it's like not to have a disability, then to be given it,’ Annalee told the Royal Commission. ‘It's very hard to take … when you are not getting the help you need to cope.’
Annalee said she acquired her disability nearly a decade ago after her former partner abducted her son. Shortly after this incident, Annalee’s employer made her redundant.
‘And that was the start of my journey of this disease grabbing me.’
Annalee said she reached a point where she ‘couldn't move really’ and saw a doctor.
‘Being an active person beforehand, and a mother of a son, it was hard for both of us. And my parents. It was hard for the whole family because it's annoying, and you think you can beat it and you can't.’
Annalee said when she tried to get help, the government made her disability worse.
‘I've worked all my life. Always worked, and I was a volunteer firefighter. And the way I've been treated by … government agencies, has been disgusting.’
After Annalee was made redundant and her health deteriorated, she became homeless. She approached Centrelink for help.
‘You're going to specialists, you’re getting this and that done, and when you are ringing up to get some help, you're treated like a liar.’
She later applied for the Disability Support Pension, a process that took so long Centrelink lost her paperwork several times.
‘They said, “Oh, we're sorry, we've made a mistake.” Now, that mistake took too long for anybody … That was like a three-year wait.’
Annalee said the abuse from her former partner, and the difficulty finding support, made her disability worse and traumatised her son.
‘I'm just scared … My son, he's already got a disability, he's got severe PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] … I've got him at the psychologist. We both see a psychologist … I don't want him or anyone else to go through this.’
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.