Tracie and Beverley
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.
Beverley’s siblings are in their 40s and have intellectual disability.
‘My siblings only left home in recent years,’ Beverley told the Royal Commission. ‘They used to live with Mum and Dad, and because Mum and Dad are ageing they needed to move out of home and get used to the idea of being away from Mum and Dad. They have struggled with that.’
Beverley’s siblings are all supported by the NDIS. One day, her sister Tracie met a worker from a service provider that had set up a shop in a shopping centre to attract business.
‘All of my siblings, they started to call the workers there their friends.’
The worker pressured her siblings to switch service providers.
‘[He] kept on coming around to my parents' home. And on one occasion Dad was actually in the hospital, so Mum called me to say "Hey, can you get around here quick, [the worker’s] coming, he's on his way."’
Beverley said these ‘very heavy-handed sales techniques’ happen ‘quite a lot’.
‘A lot of the providers, [are] treating people and the NDIS plan like an electricity plan. Like, “Show me your plan” … to see what their funding is and I just felt it was inappropriate. These are very vulnerable people. It’s not an electricity bill where you’re just trying to get people to change provider.’
Beverley said service providers are also offering her siblings supports they don’t need.
For example, her sister Tracie used to work in open employment at a restaurant. She wanted to change jobs and approached an employment agency, which sent her to a service provider. The service provider convinced her to pay them to find supported employment.
‘They originally wanted to take, like it was $70,000 per year of [Tracie's] NDIS funding, which is ridiculous when she's got the ability and capability [to work in open employment].’
Beverley said Tracie eventually left the provider and, with the help of an advocate, the provider refunded the money.
‘But it took a lot of work to get to that point and a lot of angst. It was stressful.’
Beverley told the Royal Commission service providers are taking advantage of her siblings when they should be helping them improve their lives.
‘The system is feeding each other and they’re not building capacity. … My sister [Tracie], she's got the ability to learn, she could learn how to teach other people how to cook … so why can't she do that as a job, to teach other people with disabilities to do the same thing?’
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.