Maple
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.
‘I got a voice and they’re not hearing it or my children and that automatically breaks my heart. I just need them to give me back my dignity.’
Maple is a First Nations woman in her 40s. She has an acquired brain injury (ABI) and has been living with depression since being assaulted 10 years ago.
Maple lived independently in her own unit until recently, when the office of the public advocate (OPA) persuaded her to move into a hostel for people with mental health issues.
‘They slapped these orders on me. They get to decide where I stay,’ Maple told the Royal Commission. ‘They lied to me. They said, “Well, you give your unit up, [Maple].” This is what they said. “And we'll accommodate you in a couple of months time.” You know? And low and behold, they're attempting to keep me at [the hostel] for good.’
Maple doesn’t like the hostel because there are a ‘lot of arguments between the staff and the residents’ and she is monitored.
‘It's not a nice environment.’
Maple wants to move back into her own unit because the hostel won’t let her children stay with her when they visit.
‘I feel like leaving and walking … I was going to sell my TV and just go with a bag and I was out of there.’
Maple feels like she can’t ‘have a life’ without the approval of the OPA and the public trustee.
‘[The trustee] voiced his concerns about me because I am giving 20 or something dollars for my children … when I can. And that goes way back and years back with our mob, you know? … [The trustee] said, “No, no, no, [Maple]. You can't be sending money to your children” … So it's soul destroying, yeah.’
Maple was given compensation after the assault, but she doesn’t know how much money is in the bank.
‘The public trustee wouldn't tell me how much that I had compensation-wise because of my head injury.’
The trustee lets Maple have $100 a week. She puts $20 aside, saving up for a mobile phone.
‘I left [the OPA] a message once … and I said, “Look, I'm not a 12-year-old kid, you know, like when you're a ward of the state.” I said, “I feel like a ward of the state all over again. Being monitored. Being watched. That's exactly how I feel.”’
Maple said no-one at the hostel or the OPA office acknowledges her First Nations identity.
‘These fellas don’t understand our ways. It just breaks my heart. I’ve been through so much in my life and these guys are nothing.’
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.