Then this is fraud on the Cwlth. They are well able to respond and the amount is sufficient to send others to jail.

In Queensland and I assume other States and Territories there is/are/should be Public Guardian Offices [and Ombudsmen] funded by taxpayers to oversight and contact visit disabled people and children placed in care to check that they are receiving their entitlements, responsibily being looked after, not being roterted and are advocated for where there is an identifiable need. I have been a disability advocate in NSW and a child protection officer and I am well aware that 'well intentioned' policies that 'empower' family members can get rorted by those who have ulterior motives. Elder abuse is another sad fact of life for those vulnerable by manipulative family members. Eternal vigilance is the mantra that needs to be directed to politicians and dept bureaucratic policy makers, heads of depts who often want an 'easy do nothing but sound professional fix' including buck passing and/or transfer responsibility to ngo agencies or worse family members who may not be so ethical as many of us would hope! Prevention is better than cure - so perhaps DEMAND in a Open Letter to the responsible? Minister that they problem is sorted out for the person you have identified and future or existing others. If you want to send me a copy of what you write I will be happy to also 'lodge my concern and ask for remedial ACTION that can either be (a) acclaimed or (b) reported to the Shadow Minister as negative so they are PRESSURED to ask a question to the Minister in Parliament. 'Fight fire with fire!' MAKE POLITICIANS ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES TO GET DEPTS TO CARRY OUT THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES or threaten to start gathering support to have them replaced at the next election! Some are only motivated by fear of losing their cosy roles -particularly some politicians and public servants . . . . my email, if you are interested, is citizensinitiatedaction@fastmail.fm Use subject line including your name so I know it is not just scam/junk email please.

I am very saddened to hear about Karen's case.

However, this could not have happened to her unless she had a very grave karma record and no social safeguards could ever be devised to overcome karma's inevitable manifestation. Sooner or later, everyone must incur the results of their own actions.

please explain

What is wrong with this system, is the cash allocation with no questions asked, apparently?

In medicare provided service, one needs to present an account to receive partial recompense! Perhaps that's how this same money could be allocated, as a small pool topped up on the receipt of evidential documentation?

As a very young man I worked in a foundation for the blind. Some of our residents were unable to communicate because of complicating brain injury conditions. We used American sign, a system of open and closed hand communication on the hand of the patient!

A bit like morse code but better and completely silent! A fingertip a dot, the whole firger laid flat a dash, with dragged fingers complimented by a closed fist as exclamation or question marks, I think? It's something you need to use fairly frequently to remember perfectly!

We started with the alphabet and proceeded from there! Even with the lights out, there is often somebody at home!

One assumes, if Karen is going to university? She must retain some cognitive ability? And perhaps a tactile response?

If you've heard of American sign Dr. T.? Perhaps you could investigate it as a means of communication, given it worked as common practise decades ago on folk both deaf and blind! Some in their eighties and nineties, who could on their off days, test the patience of a saint!

Today, we have other marvelous tools, like the cochlear implant and work proceeding on a bionic eye!

Can Karen use a keyboard and perhaps communicate like Stephen Hawkings? Who is possibly more profoundly disabled than Karen? Is stem cell therapy a possibility?

Given their own harvested nasal stem cells have helped spinal injury patients to walk again? Perhaps nasal or other stem cells could be used to repair some brain injuries? Not the least of which is (spastic) conditions created before or during birth!?
Alan B.

Alan B. Thank you for your comments. One of the misconceptions about Karen is that she has an intellectual disability. She does not. She is articulate, well-read, writes beautifully, and until four years ago, engaged in debates on politics, human rights and world philosophies. She has written 5,000-word university research papers. People with profound physical disabilities (e.g. Helen Keller, Stephen Hawking and Joseph Merrick - the Elephant Man) are often assumed to have accompanying intellectual disabilities when they do not.

What has happened to Karen may be difficult to understand because it is such an egregious removal of her human rights. Her family took away her free access to the talking keyboard she requires to be able to type her communications. She cannot use without someone taking it out and setting it up. The family changed her email password to prevent her from reaching out to others. There is evidence they have been fraudulently sending out emails from her account.

Karen is seen out in the community and so there is an impression that she is cared for by her adoptive family. However, for the past four years, she has not been allowed to speak to anyone in public. This was after she reported embezzlement, theft and fraud from her accounts.

The only DHS condition placed on the $200,000 ISP package is that invoices matching approved line items are submitted each year by the family. Karen provided evidence to me before her rights were taken away that invoices were being falsified.