Roscoe
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.
Roscoe is in his 50s and has an intellectual disability. His grandparents left him an inheritance and he also receives the Disability Support Pension. Roscoe told the Royal Commission that the public trustee controls his money and, after paying rent to his parents, it gives him $90 a week to spend.
‘I can’t even go for a counter meal with my mates and all that stuff.’
When Roscoe was a teenager, he was sexually assaulted. Afterwards, he was sent to a psychiatric hospital, ‘a nasty place’, where he stayed until his 20s.
Roscoe told the Royal Commission staff at the hospital abused him and locked him in a ‘time-out’ room. It made him sad and lonely.
After leaving the hospital, Roscoe lived in boarding houses until his parents bought a house for him to rent.
Because the public trustee won’t let him access more of his own savings, Roscoe now collects bottles and cans to supplement the $90 a week he’s allowed from his pension.
‘I’ve got all that money in [the bank]. They’re not even giving me any of it … I’m unemployed and I’ve got no other money.’
Roscoe said that when he asked the public trustee and his parents for access to more of his money, they said ‘No’.
‘I’d like them not to be greedy. I’d like them to give me my money more often … I’m happy with $80 extra a week.’
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.