People with Disability Australia Incorporated

Text reads: A right delayed is a right denied. - Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

Issues & Campaigns

Supporting PWD

There are many ways to support us:

Make a Donation Becoming a Disability Rights Defender Volunteering and student placement Becoming a financial member

PWD has Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations

PWD Advocacy and Grand Western Lodge

October 2011: “Taskforce's house of horror fear”

On 16 October, a story appeared in the Daily Telegraph which reported that a Police taskforce has been set up to investigate alleged incidents of assault, attempted suicides, fire and "missing persons" at Grand Western Lodge.

Click here to read the full story 'Taskforce's hous of horror fear' - Sunday Telegraph 16 October 2011

September 2011: Latest developments with Grand Western Lodge

Since August, a number of PWD’s Individual Advocates have been travelling to and from Bathurst, Orange and Dubbo to support the 43 residents recently removed from Grand Western Lodge, where they had allegedly been subject to significant experiences of abuse and violence. This work will continue until all residents are relocated into appropriate permanent accommodation that suits their wishes and needs.
PWD’s advocacy work around Grand Western Lodge contributed to the public release of the NSW Ombudsman’s special report - More than board and lodging: the need for boarding house reform.
Click here to learn more about this report and its findings and recommendations.
This has been a significant piece of work bringing these people to place of safety and thanks also go to the Systemic Advocacy Team for their tireless advocacy work that assisted in bringing action about.

August 2011 - Latest developments with Grand Western Lodge

PWD has been extremely busy this month in our boarding house advocacy and we are pleased to report some substantial developments have been made since July. There has also been a flurry of media activity covering this advocacy and PWD has welcomed the new public attention on these usually invisible issues.

An article by Adele Horin titled ‘Grand Western Lodge left with one resident’ appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald on 16 August, which contained the latest developments in the relocation of residents from Grand Western Lodge. As reported in this article, it is PWD’s understanding that the final group of 25 residents were relocated to alternative supported accommodation late last week following emergency hearings of the Guardianship Tribunal where the use of Section 11 of the Guardianship Act and coercive legal powers to remove residents forcibly (if required) were granted.

As you know PWD began to alert ADHC and NSW Police to allegations of serious risk of harm to residents of Grand Western Lodge in June 2010. It has taken over a year for ADHC to take effective action in response to these allegations. For the residents concerned, we hope that ADHC’s current action will now mean that they are afforded the safety and justice they deserve. PWD understands that an active Police investigation of allegations of violence and abuse is in progress.

Given the strong support PWD has received in response to our letter writing campaign and updates around Grand Western Lodge, we would also like to take this opportunity to extend a word of thanks to everyone who has added their voice and weight to a call for action around Grand Western Lodge and broader boarding house sector reform. If this strong and persistent advocacy had not been in place, these residents would not have been afforded the opportunity for relocation and the safety and justice they deserve and the urgency for sector reform would have continued to go unnoticed.

Thursday 18 August 2011

ABC Radio National interview with Dr Gabrielle Drake - 'Damning report into boarding houses' discussing her work around boarding houses and her reasons for advocating their closure. Dr Drake completed a PhD study in 2010 (PDF 904kb) on the deinstitutionalisation of boarding houses for people with mental illness and disability.
www.abc.net.au/rn/lifematters/stories/2011/3295764.htm.

Wednesday 17 August 2011
NSW Ombudsman Bruce Barbour says boarders are dying with no dignity - The Daily Telegraph
www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-nsw/nsw-ombudsman-bruce-barbour-says-boarders-are-dying-with-no-dignity/story-e6freuzi-1226116321611

Shocking abuse and neglect revealed in boarding houses across NSW - Adele Horin in the Sydney Morning Herald
www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/lifematters/shocking-abuse-and-neglect-revealed-in-boarding-houses-across-nsw-20110816-1iwbk.html
Archaic boarding houses should be abolished, says UWS expert - University of Western Sydney Press Release 17 August
http://pubapps.uws.edu.au/news/index.php?act=view&story_id=3026

NSW Ombudsman’s special report- More than board and lodging: the need for boarding house reform - www.ombo.nsw.gov.au/show.asp?id=667

The NSW Ombudsman’s special report to Parliament, More than board and lodging: the need for boarding house reform, released on August 17, draws on work by the Ombudsman since 2002, which has identified serious concerns about the safety, health, welfare and rights of the residents of licensed boarding houses and the adequacy of the system that is meant to protect them. In his report, the Ombudsman highlights the need for concerted and sustained cross-government action to achieve real and improved outcomes for people living in licensed and unlicensed boarding houses.

The report also provides evidence of the shocking individual and systemic violence, abuse and neglect that is so common to life in a licensed boarding house. It is a further timely reminder of the need for the NSW Government to learn from this documented experience and expedite the much needed reform of the licensed boarding house sector.

Tuesday 16 August 2011

PWD press release in relation to the Ombudsman's Report (above), which read by clicking Ombudsman’s Report a Damning Indictment of Licensed Boarding House Monitoring and Reform.

Improving conditions in boarding houses - NSW Ombudsman’s Media Release 16 August 2011
http://www.ombo.nsw.gov.au/whatsnew/latestmedia.html

Shocking abuse and neglect revealed in boarding houses across NSW - where PWD’s President Jan Daisley is quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald. PWD’s Executive Director was also loudly outspoken on the release of the report, appearing on radio interviews on 2UE, ABC Radio National, 2SER, and ABC Radio Central West.

Monday 15 August 2011
Grand Western Lodge left with one resident - Adele Horin in the Sydney Morning Herald
www.smh.com.au/nsw/grand-western-lodge-left-with-one-resident-20110815-1iuwd.html

July 2011

Over the past fortnight there has been substantial media coverage by journalist Adele Horin in the Sydney Morning Herald which sheds light on allegations of violence, abuse and exploitation against residents of a licensed boarding house, known as Grand Western Lodge, located in Millthorpe, NSW:

Saturday 30 July 2011
Lambasted boarding house has 18 residents removed - Sydney Morning Herald
www.smh.com.au/nsw/lambasted-boarding-house-has-18-residents-removed-20110729-1i46y.html

Saturday 23 July 2011
Victim's sister relives pain of boarding house case - Sydney Morning Herald
www.smh.com.au/nsw/victims-sister-relives-pain-of-boarding-house-case-20110722-1hszm.html

Saturday 23 July 2011
Sad truth behind closed doors - Sydney Morning Herald
www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/sad-truth-behind-closed-doors-20110722-1hsoo.html

Friday 22 July 2011
Breaking the silence; boarding houses and abuse - Ramp Up (ABC)
PWD has had our own article published on the ABC’s Ramp Up site
www.abc.net.au/rampup/articles/2011/07/22/3275799.htm

Monday 18 July 2011
$15m bid for damages in boarding house case - Sydney Morning Herald
www.smh.com.au/nsw/15m-bid-for-damages-in-boarding-house-case-20110717-1hk8l.html

Sunday 17 July 2011

The Tenant’s Union of NSW Blog 'The Brown Couch' has a post on Licensed Boarding Houses issues in support of PWD’s activity.
tunswblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/licensed-residential-centres-for-people.html

Saturday 16 July 2011
Disturbing tales from behind closed doors - Sydney Morning Herald
www.smh.com.au/nsw/disturbing-tales-from-behind-closed-doors-20110715-1hhwp.html

Click here to download PWD’s Background Briefing Paper on Grand Western Lodge 87kb Word

These articles also raised serious questions on the effectiveness of multiple government agencies in addressing allegations of violence and abuse. People with Disability Australia (PWD), as an organisation funded to provide advocacy services to people with disability living in licensed boarding houses in NSW, have been extremely active in advocacy on these issues, and for the rights of the residents to live lives free from abuse and exploitation.

PWD is seeking your support on this issue. We urge you to help us raise the awareness of our politicians to the rights of people with disability to:

be free from exploitation, violence and abuse,
have equal recognition before the law,
gain access to justice, and
receive housing and support which promotes their wellbeing, independence and inclusion.

Please email or write to your local Member or the NSW Minister for Disability Services to tell then that we expect more to be done on the issues highlighted by the Grand Western Lodge case.

The Minister’s contact details are:

Mr Andrew Constance, MP
Minister for Disability Services
Level 34 Governor Macquarie Tower
1 Farrer Place
SYDNEY NSW 2000

P (02) 9228 5263
F (02) 9228 5500
E office@constance.minister.nsw.gov.au

We have found that proforma emails or letters don’t work as well as personalised ones but the key points to make are these:

For the benefit of Grand Western Lodge residents:

their immediate relocation to safe housing in the community with appropriate individualised support;
compensation for the current and past residents of Grand Western Lodge for the way the NSW Government and its departments have failed to facilitate their access to justice and the right to a safe environment in which to live;
immediate revocation of the licences to operate Grand Western Lodge;
NSW Police to employ a special investigation task force to conduct comprehensive investigations of all allegations concerning Grand Western Lodge; and
the public release of the recent NSW Ombudsman’s report that highlights the failures of the ADHC to properly monitor the welfare of the boarding house residents.

For the benefit of all people with disability:

immediate action of the long promised boarding house sector reform, including the closure of all remaining licensed boarding houses;
establishment of an office of the Disability Services Commissioner, independent of government but with powers of investigation and expertise in complaint handling, with the responsibility of monitoring service provision and the implementation of policy initiatives against the NSW Disability Standards, the Disability Services Act and United Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disability (UN CRPD);
action to develop a ‘vulnerable adults’ protection framework’ which outlines action for administrative and legislative reform to increase the protection of people with disability from violence, abuse and neglect.

We urge you to let your politicians including the Minister know that progress on these actions is important to you. If we all work together on this, we can make a better future for the lives of Grand Western Lodge residents, past and present, as well as systemic change which will benefit all people with disability. Your action and support for change on these important issues is something we can all be proud of.

Return to Top