Marcus and Rebbecca
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.
Marcus is autistic and in his teens.
When he joined the NDIS several years ago it was ‘really the first time he’d received any funding to help with his therapies’, his mum Rebbecca told the Royal Commission. ‘We self-funded what we could up until that point.’
But when the NDIS insisted Marcus’s support plan be ‘agency-managed’, they ‘lost all of the support workers [they] had paid privately to train’.
When Marcus’s behaviour deteriorated and he had to move out of home, one of his new support workers suggested he share a house with Marcus under an individualised living options plan, so he could give Marcus more support.
After Marcus had moved in, the support worker became controlling and started sending Marcus abusive texts.
‘We started to learn what was exactly happening at that house while [Marcus] was there. [Marcus] was his slave.’
Rebbecca said the worker made Marcus do ‘every single little bit of cooking, of cleaning, toilets scrubbed, lawnmowing, vacuuming, you name it’.
‘[Marcus] ended up coming back to my house … He will carry that [experience] with him for a very long time, and it took us a very long time to even convince him to let us bring new support workers in after.’
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.