Latest news with #disabilitysupport
ABC News
2 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Former Alice Springs Coles supermarket worker says Kumanjayi White clearly needed support
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the names of Indigenous people who have died, used with the permission of their families. A former Coles worker familiar with a young Aboriginal man who died in police custody at the Alice Springs supermarket last week says it was obvious he had a disability and needed help to do his shopping. Kumanjayi White, a 24-year-old Warlpiri man from the remote community of Yuendumu, died on Tuesday last week after plain-clothed police officers restrained him following an alleged altercation with security guards. Northern Territory Police and the coroner will investigate the circumstances surrounding Mr White's death. Western Arrernte man Gene Hill said he bought food for Mr White on several occasions when he worked at the Coles supermarket in Alice Springs. "One glance at him and you can see he's got special needs," he said. Mr White's grandfather Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves has previously said his grandson was "very vulnerable" and was living in supported accommodation in Alice Springs because of his disabilities. Mr Hill said he used to spot Mr White wandering the supermarket aisles, and would "simply go up to him and grab the products off him and just explain to him that it's got to be paid for". He suggested Coles should hire more Indigenous staff to help overcome language barriers and better support Aboriginal shoppers with disabilities. "They need to put a bit of money into local interpreters," he said. "There's no one for the language barrier … and they don't hire Indigenous security guards." In a statement, a Coles spokesperson said the supermarket giant was "deeply saddened" by Mr White's death. "We closed our store last week to provide the man's family and community the time and space to mourn and pay their respects," they said in a statement. The spokesperson said Coles was assisting police with their inquiries. In a statement, a spokesperson for Life Without Barriers confirmed the non-profit disability support service had provided care to Mr White. The spokesperson said Mr White was a "much loved son, brother, grandson, friend and community member". "As an organisation, we are deeply saddened by this tragedy and its impact on our people who supported and cared for him and our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colleagues," they said. The spokesperson did not answer questions about Mr White's disability support plan. Justice Not Jails spokesperson Thomas Mayo reiterated calls for an independent investigation into Mr White's death, saying "police investigating themselves is an issue all Australians should get behind". Advocates including Amnesty International have previously called for the investigation into his death to be conducted outside of NT police to "ensure impartiality", while Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy has also said that could be the best path forward. Mr Mayo said an independent investigation was "absolutely vital", particularly given allegations of racism within the NT Police Force that emerged during the coronial investigation into the fatal 2019 police shooting of Kumanjayi Walker in Yuendumu. Acting Commissioner Martin Dole defended the decision to internally investigate Mr White's death in custody, saying responsibility for criminal investigations sat "solely" with NT police. "This is the same in every state and jurisdiction in Australia and it's no different in the Northern Territory," he told ABC Radio Alice Springs on Monday. "It's not simply a matter that a criminal investigation can be handed to someone independent as there's real risks that action that is taken could prevent further action being taken. "There's the corruption of evidence if not collected in a fashion that's admissible, there's the tainting of evidence that could render it unusable. Acting Commissioner Dole also said the coroner would have responsibility to conduct "a far more broad-reaching investigation". "That will be occurring as well in the background," he said. "When an incident happens that involves a death — and if it's a sudden and unexpected death — then the NT coroner also has jurisdiction. "Any criminal investigation still has priority and that sits squarely with the Northern Territory police." When asked about police protocols around dealing with people with disabilities, Acting Police Commissioner Dole said he did not know "if that was relevant in this circumstance". "What we've got is a situation where we had police on their lunch break acting in accordance with their oath and jumping in as an incident was unfolding," he said.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Kathy has terminal cancer and cares for her son with a profound disability. At a crisis point, his NDIS funding ran out
Next to the bed Steven Rieger spends most his life in is a framed print that says: 'This is my happy place.' For him, it is – his small room on the eastern outskirts of Melbourne is covered in Collingwood paraphernalia and basked in warm light. Steven, 37, needs round-the-clock care. He lives with cerebral palsy, is nonverbal and suffers from seizures – natural light can trigger them so he spends almost all of his time in his room. His parents are both in their 70s – his father Rodger has had several strokes and is partly deaf. His mother, Kathy, who has cared for him most of his life, is dying – her breast cancer has metastasised, spreading to her bones and brain. In March, the family lost their national disability insurance scheme (NDIS) funding, and Steven's paid carers felt obliged to work for free – the family could not cope by themselves. They had been overspending on their plan, but the family say they were underfunded for their care needs. When the money ran out they panicked. Steven's sister Kylie started a GoFundMe and Kathy rang their local member of parliament, Julian Hill. They have now been put on a plan that provides 10 hours of care a day, but they need more. 'It was almost three weeks where there was no funding,' Kathy says. 'The carers that do look after Steven were nice enough to still come in here, but they weren't getting paid. They were doing their normal shifts but without pay.' Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Advocates say participants have become collateral damage as the NDIS goes through massive changes, with many plans expiring and reviews dragging on. They say crucial funding is not getting where it needs to go. In January, Kathy had started preparing everything for the annual review of Steven's plan. As she was getting sicker she knew they needed to be funded for 15 hours of care a day. 'It was very stressful for me,' she says. 'I was getting things organised … and hoping the funding wouldn't run out, but it did. 'We started calling NDIS a few weeks before this funding was going to run out, and they said it wouldn't run out. They said they would escalate [the case] every time.' The family say they now owe around $15,000 to carers for the three weeks of work. Twice a day, Steven is lifted into a chair and fed through a drip. El Gibbs, CEO of the Disability Advocates Network Australia, says the NDIS is delaying plan renewals for so long, people run out of personal funds. 'We had a meeting a few weeks ago, and all our members reported a 50% or more increase in their waiting list for help with AAT [administrative appeals tribunal] appeals, where people with disability and their families are fighting for the support that they need,' Gibbs says. Under the changes, NDIS plans are meant to automatically continue if the review has not taken place yet. Because the Riegers were asking to increase Steven's care hours, their plan ran out. The last quarterly reports show an increase in participants taking their review decision to the AAT, with the number of new cases as a proportion of active participants increasing from 0.66% in the March 2023 quarter to 1.05% in the March 2025 quarter. Gibbs says the delays mean people in crisis are falling through the cracks, as is the case for the Riegers – Steven's funding running out while Kathy is dying worsens the family's situation. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'Our disability support system has to be able to meet them where they are,' Gibbs says. 'If a family goes through a crisis, and informal supports aren't there any more then, of course, the NDIS needs to step in and do it quickly and make sure a terrible situation isn't made harder.' Gibbs says vulnerable families should not be accruing debt to get the right care and the massive reforms to the NDIS need to be more clearly communicated. 'At the moment, the changes are often rushed and harsh, and the communication about them isn't clear to people with disability, to families, to support coordinators,' she says. 'So it is really hard for everyone to understand what is happening and to have a clear pathway about what comes next.' A spokesperson for the National Disability Insurance Agency said its priority was 'ensuring every participant, like Steven, has access to the disability-related supports they require'. 'The agency continues to work with Steven and his parents regarding his future needs. 'When a participant's circumstances change a request for an early plan reassessment can be requested. The agency cannot make decisions to change a participant's plan without being provided appropriate evidence.' Jenny McAllister, the minister for the NDIS, was contacted for comment. An occupational therapist report to possibly increase Steven's care to 15 hours a day is set for three weeks' time, but Kathy is struggling. 'I physically can't care for Steven any more,' she says. 'With extremely high needs like Steven's, there shouldn't be a review in their plan. They're not going to get better. There's no change. 'They're not going to wake up one day and go, 'Oh, hi Mum, I'm all good. I'm going to work now.''
CBS News
26-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Free Michigan horseback riding program for kids with disabilities is seeking volunteers
A free program in Livingston County, Michigan, that allows kids with disabilities to ride horses is looking for more volunteers. Buttercup and her friends, Jasper and Rain, are three of the horses currently working in the Grand Equestrians Therapeutic Riding Program. "Some of our riders in the program have anything from autism to cerebral palsy, and we also welcome riders that are wheelchair bound," said Natalie Strauss, who serves as the president of the program. Riders can range in age from 5 to 19 years old. "Kids have a ball. They love coming out here. The horses are beautiful, they can be very calm and reassuring for a young rider," said Kathy Black, a volunteer horse coordinator. Volunteers run the program in June and July, and the group says it's always looking for more helping hands. "Depending on the ability of the rider, we might have three volunteers per child," said Tracy Maudrie, one of the volunteers. Volunteers also help with upkeep and horse care. The program is happy to train volunteers, so don't expect to sit behind a desk. "We also need people to help us with the aid station, the Kool-Aid, and cookies that we have afterwards," she said. The ladies volunteering on Monday say volunteering with the program is rewarding because you can see a real positive change in a child in just a few short weeks. "They get such a buildup of confidence in themselves," said volunteer Donna Chacon.
ABC News
23-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Mother starts new, near-identical NDIS business after son's company liquidated
The mother of a man who headed a disability housing provider that entered liquidation days after an NDIS participant died, has been able to start a near-identical business on the same premises. In April, ABC NEWS revealed the death of a man with disability at housing owned by an NDIS provider in the Brisbane suburb of Acacia Ridge. The death did not have to be reported to the NDIS watchdog, the Quality and Safeguards Commission (QSC), because the provider was not formally registered with the scheme. The death occurred on March 14, five days before the provider, Core and Capacity Disability Support, was put into liquidation on March 19. Do you have a story to share? Email Now, documents from the corporate regulator — the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) — show a new company called Care and Compassionate Disability Support has been started by members of the same family. Care and Compassionate operates at the same Acacia Ridge address, documents show, and residents still live there. Core and Capacity was controlled and owned by Liam Luppino before liquidation. The newest business, Care and Compassionate, was registered less than a month after the original company was put in liquidation, and ASIC documents show it is owned and controlled by Deborah Luppino, Liam's mother. Those entities, and other related businesses, are all registered to the same residential address in outer Brisbane. Several people sent ABC NEWS screenshots of a Facebook call-out for new workers, posted around the time of Core and Capacity's liquidation, concerned that those behind a failed company were able to start a new business with access to people with disability so quickly. In a statement, Deborah Luppino told ABC NEWS the motivation behind the new company was to ensure there was continuity of care for residents. "My sole purpose in taking over when Core and Capacity went into liquidation was to ensure that the participants still had somewhere to live and to minimise the disruption for them as best as possible," she said. Ms Luppino said the new company was "different" in that it "listens to the participants and staff and only wants to ensure they're happy". "Since I started we have made significant changes to our communication with both our participants and staff to enable them to express their concerns," she said. "Moving forward I am confident that we are creating a place where participants can feel a sense of community, make friendships and enjoy activities on and off site together. "If any participant is unhappy, they are more than welcome to give us two weeks' notice and vacate. I am not trying to keep anyone here that does not want to be here." Ms Luppino said she intended to formally register the new company with the NDIS and the agency that runs the scheme — the National Disability Insurance Agency — was "happy with how we are progressing". In a statement, the QSC said it was unable to comment on individual providers or potential regulatory action and that its current jurisdiction was limited. "[We] work within our legislative remit, in close cooperation with other government agencies, to uphold the rights of NDIS participants and ensure the integrity of the Scheme," acting deputy commissioner of regulatory operations Mahashini Krishna said. The QSC said new legislation was being prepared that would make unregistered providers subject to the same regulatory obligations as those that were formally registered, strengthening its ability to take action where necessary. El Gibbs, CEO of Disability Advocacy Network Australia, said there were too many gaps in the regulatory system. "We urgently need the commission to have the same powers as regulators in other industries."
The Guardian
21-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Disability services provider which collapsed with $500,000 tax debt investigated by NDIS regulator
The NDIS regulator is investigating a Queensland-based disability housing and support provider – which collapsed in March with more than half a million dollars in tax debt — after residents made complaints alleging that their support needs were not being fully met. Several former residents and staff claim the company, Core & Capacity Disability Support Pty Ltd, had not provided adequate care for people with disability and imposed restrictions on residents that isolated them from the community. The former residents and staff also allege the company failed to file some rental bonds and operated audio-recording cameras throughout the accommodation complex it managed in the Brisbane suburb of Acacia Ridge; leading residents and staff to fear their private conversations could have been listened to. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Core & Capacity provided accommodation and disability support services to participants of the National Disability Insurance Scheme until the federal court ordered it be wound up in insolvency on 19 March due to $507,782.84 in unpaid taxes, corporate records and court documents show. Guardian Australia can reveal NDIS participants are still being housed and disability support services being provided at the same site in Acacia Ridge, under new companies registered shortly after the Australian Taxation Office launched federal court proceedings to wind up Core & Capacity on 15 November. A spokesperson for the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission said, in response to questions from Guardian Australia about the residents' concerns, that it was 'currently looking into these matters,' while the liquidator for Core & Capacity has told creditors in a report filed with ASIC that she intends to launch an insolvent trading claim. The director of Core & Capacity, Liam Luppino, said it was never his intention to cause distress and that the allegations against the company are 'misguided'. 'I'm just quite sad about how it all unfolded,' he said. Core & Capacity offered independent living options (ILOs) for people with disability, pitched as a flexible housing and support arrangement. NDIS participants were given standard rooming house leases, but with added conditions guaranteeing the company 22 hours of one-on-one support work a week, paid for by the resident's NDIS funds, and banning external support workers from the premises without the company's written permission. In the midst of insolvency proceedings, Core & Capacity staff began to issue residents with new agreements for rent and disability support. The agreements, seen by Guardian Australia, used Core & Capacity branding but requested payments be made to two different companies: CCDS Acacia Ridge Operations and CCDS Acacia Ridge Housing. Those companies were registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) on 6 December and 23 January under the name of Deborah Luppino, the mother of Core & Capacity's director, secretary and ultimate shareholder, Liam Luppino. The wind up order in March came just days after a resident was found dead in the Acacia Ridge complex. Queensland Police said the resident's death did not appear to be suspicious. The events were not related. Guardian Australia has confirmed that multiple complaints have been made to the NDIS Commission about the conduct of Core & Capacity, including one as early as November 2023. But an investigation did not begin until February, after Labor MP Graham Perrett and Greens senator Larissa Waters intervened on behalf of a former resident and constituent, Shaun Bickley. Bickley has been contacting authorities about Core & Capacity for six months. He told Guardian Australia he was deeply frustrated by what he felt was too little action for vulnerable people in the company's care, coming too late. 'I'm verbal, have good supports, used to work in disability advocacy, can contact MPs and reporters, and everything I did was still ignored. What chance did anyone else there have at being heard?' Bickley said. Bickley and another former resident, Ron Bath, told Guardian Australia they felt the disability support they received at Core & Capacity was inadequate. Correspondence from Bickley to the company, seen by Guardian Australia, documents numerous instances in which he queried the quality of his support and billing on his plan. In November, he cancelled his service agreement with the company on grounds including allegations that support workers frequently arrived late, left early, and supported other participants while on individual shifts with him. The company offered to investigate, but Bickley elected instead to make a complaint to the NDIS Commission outlining these and other concerns. Bath described similar experiences with his support workers. 'They'd come and do the cleaning, then go and sit under the carport and play with their phones,' said Bath. 'They didn't want to know me but [the company was] happy to send me invoices.' Bath did not formally complain to the company as he did not expect to live there longer than six months. Luppino vehemently denied that the support provided had been inadequate. 'We were there to help, not take advantage of them,' he said. Former staff and residents claimed that at times the personal care of high-needs residents was visibly neglected, with incontinent residents observed in soiled clothes, and inexperienced support staff rostered to work with very volatile or aggressive residents. They complained that the company operated cameras throughout the complex that recorded both video and audio, including in the staff room and shared indoor areas. Signage on the site indicated the presence of security cameras but some staff and residents said they were initially unaware that they recorded audio and said they felt uncomfortable with private conversations potentially being recorded. Guardian Australia has seen extracts of surveillance footage of a resident falling down a set of stairs at the Acacia Ridge site, in which speech is clearly audible. Guardian Australia has also seen evidence suggesting the company also failed on at least four occasions to file the residential bonds it collected from tenants with the Queensland Residential Tenancies Authority, an apparent breach of the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008. Residents were able to get their bond money back from the company when they left, but some were concerned that the funds may not have been kept with the appropriate authority. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Luppino said all Core & Capacity's staff were required to have or be enrolled in a certificate 3, but that the company could only operate within the parameters of a participant's NDIS funding. 'So yes, there would have been times when participants were un-cared for, because they only had limited amounts of funding,' Luppino said. 'In reality, they should have gone to a SIL [Supported Independent Living] home where they would have had more care, but they weren't funded for a SIL home. Often support coordinators would get them in with us because it was better than nothing.' He said while the on-site cameras did record audio, 'they were never used with ill intent' and no personal conversations were recorded. Luppino said the company's procedures had always required rental bonds to be lodged, but he had attempted to address the issue of non-lodgement when it had been raised with him late last year. Residents said they were also prevented from having visitors after 10pm. Visitors at other times were required to register their personal details and the reason for their visit with the company. Bickley said the ban on external support workers coupled with the restrictions on visitors had the effect of isolating residents from the community. 'Only support workers would see us, at best, unless we broke the rules and risked eviction,' he said. 'That made me feel like a prisoner,' Bath said. The rules effectively prohibited his daughter from staying with him, 'so we had to sneak [her] in without them knowing.' He said his six months living at the complex 'left a life scar on me'. Luppino said he implemented the ban on external support workers to prevent sub-standard providers from taking advantage of participants. 'I feel horrible that they felt trapped. That was never our intention,' he said. 'I wanted to create a little community of people that felt like they belonged.' Luppino initially told Guardian Australia the restrictions were a Brisbane city council requirement for rooming houses. A spokesperson for Brisbane city council said there was no such council rule or regulation. Luppino later clarified that it was a condition of the head lease held by the company. On 16 April, Core & Capacity's administrator, Kaily Chua from Rodgers Reidy, an insolvency and forensic accounting firm, said in her report to creditors, filed with ASIC, it was her assessment that 'the Company's failure was caused by poor strategic management and poor cash management.' Chua said in the report she intended to initiate an insolvent trading claim, but was still determining particulars, as Luppino had allegedly provided incomplete and partial information to liquidators, including failing to disclose a loan of $117k from Core & Capacity to another of his businesses, Luppino's Hair. The company became aware of its tax debt in February last year, Luppino said, but was unsuccessful in negotiating a payment plan. In an affidavit filed in federal court, he said he had received an offer on a residential property he owned in Mount Warren Park, and intended to use the proceeds of the sale to pay off the tax debt. At the time of publication, the property was still listed for sale but marked as 'under contract'. ASIC records list the Mount Warren Park property as Luppino's address, as well as the registered address and primary place of business for the new companies that have taken over operations at Acacia Ridge, and the residential address of their director, secretary and shareholder Deborah Luppino, his mother. Liam Luppino said he had 'nothing to do' with the creation of the new companies. 'At the time I just wanted to let it all go,' he said. 'But my mum, who is a very caring person, said if I do let it go, participants will be put on the street and have no support, so she decided she'd start her own company and look after them. At least that way they'd get some care.' Deborah Luppino did not respond to questions from Guardian Australia. Chua has reached out to the National Disability Insurance Agency to request they assist NDIS participants at Acacia Ridge who may have been affected by the company's collapse, she said in her report. The NDIA would not comment on the investigation. 'Where there is any risk to participants or the scheme, the NDIA will implement whatever compliance controls are necessary including contacting participants and supporting them to move to more appropriate providers,' a spokesperson said.
