Case examples

Case example Grandparents granted $10k in kinship back-payments

Grandparents Wendy and Joseph found their lives turned upside down when granddaughter Lilly was removed from her mother and placed into their protective care.

Kinship Care
Disability
Department of Families, Fairness and Housing

Case example Prison restricts access to culturally appropriate food

While prisons understandably restrict items that can be brought in for security reasons, everyone is entitled to have their cultural rights upheld.

Human Rights
Department of Corrections

Case example Hold up with birth certificate proves costly

Birth certificates prove legal identity and not having one can cause significant disadvantage. It can be difficult to access supports and services.

Service delays
Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages

Case example Woman forced to relieve herself in empty water bottle

Tamika and her child were detained for five hours at Melbourne Airport while they were assigned a quarantine hotel. Tamika was refused access to a toilet whilst there

Human Rights
Department of Health

Case example Kylie’s right to maintain her connection to her Aboriginal community and culture

Kylie is a young Aboriginal woman from regional Victoria living in out-of-home residential care, provided over time by three different Community Service Organisations engaged by Child Protection. Kylie’s mother contacted us because she was worried about her daughter’s care.

Human Rights
Department of Families, Fairness and Housing

Case example Tereza’s right to protection from degrading treatment at a COVID-19 test site

Tereza uses a wheelchair and went to a drive-through COVID-19 testing site. After waiting nearly four hours, she asked staff to use the toilet. Tereza was told she would have to return to the start of the line if she left.

Human Rights
Disability
COVID-19
Department of Health

Case example Brian’s right to protection from degrading treatment after having a seizure

Brian called our office from the medical unit in prison after he had an epileptic seizure and wet the bed. Brian said staff provided him with a change of clothes, but there was no clean bedding available. As a result, Brian had to sleep in the wet bedding overnight.

Prisons
Human Rights
Prisons

Case example Elderly couple in community housing without water and heating for days

An elderly couple living in community housing were left without hot water and heating for five days after an electrician caused the appliances to stop working.

Public Housing
Human Rights
Department of Families, Fairness and Housing

Case example $3400 in traffic fine fees waived

A missing date on a driver nomination form saw a $180 traffic fine grow to $3,400, as attempts to resolve the issue via an internal review process dragged on for months.

VicRoads
Fines
Fines Victoria

Case example Disability pensioner’s $3000 in rent relief win

A woman was denied rent relief after she could not produce a bank statement showing a loss of earnings after a job she was offered was rescinded because of COVID-19.

Service delays
Department of Families, Fairness and Housing
Public Housing
Disability
Department of Families, Fairness and Housing

Case example Sight impaired man told to ‘write a letter’ to resolve fine

A $39 fine issued by Fines Victoria quickly snowballed into $145 worth of penalty fees when a sight-impaired man suffering dyslexia was told to ‘write a letter’ if he wished to challenge his penalty.

Fines
Fines Victoria

Case example Most vulnerable citizens denied hardship

Financial Councillors Victoria Executive Officer Dr Sandy Ross urges councils to show greater empathy to their most vulnerable citizens.

Fees
Councils

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