Correy
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.
Correy is a First Nations man in his late 50s. A sporting injury in the 1990s left him quadriplegic.
His club paid him less than $30,000 in compensation.
‘That’s equivalent to on the dole for a year. It’s left me in poverty. I can’t work. I don’t have any super … I don’t have anything.’
Correy has been ‘broke’ and largely homeless since.
‘I’m always on the move trying to find somewhere to live … trying to juggle the pension to make ends meet. I’m going to be homeless again soon, any day. I’m getting kicked out of my house.’
Correy needs 24-hour care and is on a Disability Support Pension and receives NDIS funding. His current housing commission flat is not wheelchair accessible.
‘It’s on the side of a hill … I live in the loungeroom.’
The NDIA refuses to provide funding for a suitable house.
‘You got to fight for everything, I’m used to it … I can’t even get an air-conditioning in my house … All I do is put ice packs on my chest and go to sleep, coz I live in the tropics.’
The lack of support has stopped him for years from returning to Country, where he is an Elder.
‘I can’t practice my culture … They just refused to build me a house.’
Correy is currently on dialysis and says he’s been ‘floated’ between three hospitals for treatment.
‘When you’re disabled, you get neglected by hospitals too. One time, I turned up, they thought I was dead because I wasn’t on the record. That’s how much they care about people with disability. Especially when you live in remote areas. You get lost in the system.’
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.