Office for the Ageing (Adult Safeguarding) Amendment Bill

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 19 September 2018.)

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY (16:20): This bill will establish a new adult safeguarding unit, which will sit within the Office for the Ageing. The purpose of this new unit is twofold: the first is to raise awareness and educate the community about elder abuse and the abuse of vulnerable adults; the second is to receive reports from the community where there is concern that abuse of vulnerable adults is occurring, and taking action where it is warranted and necessary.

If a report is received that the adult safeguarding unit believes is necessary to investigate, their first course of action would be to approach the vulnerable adult to ask how they would like the matter to be dealt with. In many cases, this step is integral, as many victims are fond of the perpetrators of their abuse and do not want them to get into trouble; they merely want the abuse to stop. The adult safeguarding unit will work with the vulnerable adult to implement a strategy to address the issues, which may involve linking individuals to social services such as financial planning or substance abuse counselling.

I understand Professor Wendy Lacey has worked closely with the government to develop this bill, which aims to fill a gap in response to elder abuse. One of the major issues with elder abuse is that it may not necessarily be criminal behaviour, but rather there is a likelihood that someone will try to manipulate and take advantage of another person due to their age or mental or physical conditions. Unfortunately, I am familiar with the malicious and unscrupulous actions of such people, as I have had firsthand experience of someone wanting to manipulate my wife for their own personal gain.

To this end, I was very interest in what the Hon. Connie Bonaros had to say on the matter of elder abuse when she gave her second reading contribution on 6 September 2018. It is not widely known that last year, the Hon. Connie Bonaros made an unannounced visit to my wife at our home, to instil the fear that I had lost my faculties and was no longer capable of serving as a member in this place.

The honourable member, who at the time was on extended leave from a position in my office and was instead working in a much higher paying position in a federal parliamentary office, told my wife she had concerns that my health and mind were failing me, and that perhaps it was time for me to retire. This is despite the fact that she had not worked for me for about six months as she had been on maternity leave and then left to work in Senator Griff's office.

The Hon. Ms Bonaros had been a trusted member of my staff for around eight years, and was so close that I did not blink an eyelid to help her when she came to me almost 10 years ago asking to borrow $10,000. I lent it to her willingly because I could see that she was distressed and I wanted to help her. Fortunately, I was also in a financial position where I could help her, and I lent her the $10,000.

This was a debt that was meant to be repaid upon the sale of an investment property about two months later; however, as the property did not achieve a price as high as was anticipated, Ms Bonaros never repaid my loan. As I did not want to put her under financial stress, I never pursued her for it, but believed her when she periodically reassured me that she had not forgotten about the debt and that I would be repaid.

Of course, at the time of Ms Bonaros' visit to my wife, I was still part of the now defunct Nick Xenophon Team and my retirement would have resulted in Ms Bonaros being installed in my position in this place. While Ms Bonaros spent the next two days preparing for my retirement, I was trying to assure my inconsolable 70-year-old wife, who was convinced that I had been hiding some sort of terrible health condition from her. I had to convince my wife that the malicious lies that Ms Bonaros had told were absolute nonsense. I find it truly disgusting and absolutely abhorrent that someone would stoop so low to get what they want.

Two days later, Ms Bonaros followed up her visit with a call to my wife to inquire as to whether she had been successful in convincing me to retire. At no stage did Ms Bonaros approach me directly with concerns about my health. I believe this demonstrates the real motive behind her visit to my wife.

In her contribution, Ms Bonaros said, and I quote, 'Elder abuse is usually perpetrated by those in a relationship of trust'. This is true, and it is with authority that Ms Bonaros speaks on this issue because she tried to maliciously manipulate my wife due to being in a position of trust not only with me as a long-time staffer but also with my wife who, over eight years, had come to look upon her fondly. My wife trusted Ms Bonaros and so believed her when she expressed her so-called concerns. Again, this is something that I might have believed if it were not for the fact that Ms Bonaros had never approached me directly to ask about my health and wellbeing. Ms Bonaros herself acknowledges that, and I quote:

Elder abuse takes so many insidious forms. Psychological and emotional abuse appeared to be the most common types…It also includes treating an older person like a child, repeatedly telling them that they have dementia…

Whilst she did not treat me as if I had dementia, she certainly made out to my wife that I had lost mental capacity. In her own words, it is 'psychological and emotional abuse' and her behaviour would likely be classified as elder abuse. She goes on to say further, and I quote:

I and SA-Best remain concerned about the nuanced way perpetrators of elder abuse can operate and the fear they can instil in their victims.

Again, I am not surprised at the expertise the Hon. Ms Bonaros has demonstrated on this subject, given the fear she instilled in my wife and the nuanced manner in which it was done. It was done covertly in order to scare my wife and cause friction between us. I am, however, appalled at the apparent concern shown by Ms Bonaros' contribution, as she did not seem to have any concern about the effect the lies she told would have on my wife. Her moral compass must have needed calibration that day.

I need to point out that my wife is not at all happy that I am speaking about this, but I think it is important to highlight what has happened and how people from all walks of life, even those who have been elected into respected positions within the community, are able to perpetrate this malicious and despicable behaviour. This behaviour is repulsive and reprehensible. While I am big enough and ugly enough to fend for myself, not everyone in our community is able to do this. These are the sorts of actions that people would be able to report to the adult safeguarding unit. With that, I strongly support the bill.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.