Osiris and Penni
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.
Osiris is in his mid-teens and has an intellectual disability and autism. He came to Australia with his family almost 10 years ago as an asylum seeker, by boat. His support worker, Penni, told the Royal Commission the government hasn’t thoroughly considered the needs of people like Osiris.
Two years after Osiris arrived in Australia, before the introduction of the NDIS, he was granted a flexible support package. Osiris requires full support with all aspects of daily living and needs to use continence aids at all times. He received ‘around $5000 per year’ to pay for support worker assistance, continence aids and some therapies.
But in 2020 Osiris’ family received a letter saying his funding will be revoked.
This is because Osiris has a Safe Haven Enterprise Visa (SHEV), which is a temporary visa. People on temporary visas are not eligible for the NDIS.
Penni says that even though the government accepts that Osiris is stateless and cannot return to his home country, he is not eligible for residency because he arrived illegally.
Penni has explored all avenues of appeal she can think of, but the NDIS legislation clearly excludes people on SHEV visas. There is a possibility Osiris might be granted a different visa category in five years. But Penni says Osiris and his family are urgently in need of support now and will not be able to cope without funding.
Currently a support worker assists Osiris for a minimum of four hours a day. Without this support, Osiris will need to be ‘locked in an area outside his family home’ to protect his younger siblings and reduce the risk of property damage.
Penni believes that if Osiris’ therapy is stopped or delayed he will end up being more of a burden on the health system and government.
She acknowledges the SHEV visa allows people to access many government supports, but says ‘it seems NDIS funding has been overlooked’.
Penni is exploring other funding options but almost no alternatives exist.
‘Leaving a family that have already experienced so much trauma to try to appropriately raise this young person without support is not right. Currently [Osiris]’s family do not have much hope for his future. Without therapy intervention he has no chance of developing any of the skills required to become more independent.’
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.