George
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.
George is a First Nations man in his 40s who lives with bipolar disorder and attention deficit disorder.
‘I was always ADD, so I had troubles at school,’ he told the Royal Commission. ‘I developed another personality when I was younger to stick up for myself, because the other person didn’t. I started to flick in and out of these two personalities. And it got harder and harder trying to work the stuff out … coz of my childhood and the trauma and everything I carry.’
George has lived in public housing for about a decade. Over that time, his mental health has deteriorated because of neglect, bullying and harassment by a community housing provider.
The ‘trouble started’ when he moved into his first home. He had separated from his wife and had a young daughter living with him on and off.
‘And my housing provider made it as difficult as possible for me to … be a father.’
The house had exposed electrical wires and was generally run-down.
‘I talked to the provider about this. They didn’t care.’
After three weeks, George still had no power.
‘I’d been paying a week’s electricity and still hadn’t had an inspection.’
Things ‘never got fixed’ and he was constantly ‘flooded in’ because of problems with the drains.
‘I couldn’t get out of my house. I had all these sandbags to stop the water coming in, but it was running through the lightbulbs and everything.’
The provider did nothing, even after maintenance reports.
‘I expected things to happen. They never did … Not a thing repaired … Then the hot water system started to leak.’
The operations manager bullied and threatened George when he raised issues.
‘She had it in for me. And she said, quote, “I’m going to get rid of him. He’s out.”’
George said his neighbours were bikers and ‘druggos’.
‘There was people that used to walk around the complex with Rambo knives.’
He said the agency completely failed in its duty of care.
‘I just can’t believe that an organisation like this can be funded by government … They can bully their arses off and think they can get away with it. They play God. They pick on the unfortunate … If people hold them accountable or whistle-blow on them, they throw them to the cleaners. They make their life as difficult as possible. And that’s what they did.’
George had to live with the constant threat of eviction and ended up ‘broken’.
‘I've got post-traumatic stress now and everything. Like, I'm not functioning. I'm quarter of the person I used to be … and it’s all their fault.’
George has ‘spent the last two years sleeping on a mattress on the floor’ after more problems with his tenancy.
‘The things that get to me is the unjust things. When people who are supposed to be helping me out, make my life 10 times worse. These people need to be held accountable.’
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.