Helping Desi Survive
Donation protected
The reason for this GoFund Me page is to raise awareness around domestic violence survivors, and the struggles we endure to get back on our feet – especially when we aren’t Australian Residents/Citizens.
Many people are not aware that as a New Zealand Citizen, you are only permitted to live and work in Australia. You are not allowed to vote, you are not given any form of assistance or benefits when you leave a domestic violent relationship, and you are excluded from more than 98% of domestic violence services.
I am South African born but hold a New Zealand passport – unfortunately, that excluded me from accessing any help from most of domestic violence outreaches. It also excludes me from any form of benefits from Centrelink. Many people are not aware of this information. I have been told time after time to get ready to live on the streets. Or return to New Zealand without my daughters’. That is not an option.
I applied for Financial Hardship through the Court process and my ex-husband was ordered to pay me $15 000 cash settlement with immediate effect – what a joke, he paid this in bits and pieces over 16 months. I was in the process of being evicted due to him stopping spousal maintenance, with no warning. Two-thirds of this money went on back pay in rent and to place my belongings in storage. The remainder was to pay for basics like food, medication, bus-fare etc. I have now run out of money and have no income. So, I was paid a cash settlement of $1000 for every year I spent with him. I had no career to fall back on. I had nothing.
After another 18 months, I was finally granted Legal Aid – and Final Property Settlement was reached. I have now found out after a further 8 months that my ex-husband had no legal right to ‘offer Superannuation from New Zealand’ as it is against the law. I will not see a cent of the money that I was planning to use to start a new life and move on. The ‘Aussie Superannuation’ is also inaccessible as ‘I am not deemed in hardship’ because I am not a Centrelink beneficiary – so I cannot use these funds either. My medical issues are not severe enough to be granted help, despite numerous blackouts in public. What is hardship really – who defines hardship – the government???
I have applied for over 200 employment opportunities in the last 6 months, despite my health issues – I suffer from vertigo, random blackouts, chronic lower back pain. I have landed up in the hospital more than a dozen times in the last 18 months. My symptoms and health is deteriorating due to prolonged and ongoing stress and anxiety, according to medical experts. I have only been granted four interviews. Two of them told me that I was over-qualified, even though I was employed in a similar position elsewhere. But due to not having current immediate superiors as references, this posed a bigger problem and I was not able to progress further.
I managed to find myself employment a year ago, in exchange for accommodation. I worked hard, starting in cleaning and became the manager of the guest house quickly. But I had to deal with another manipulator who would exploit me, knowing that I had nowhere to go. My terms of employment kept changing. I would get offered different days and money, but nothing really came to fruition. When I dared to ask about getting paid, as I was struggling and going hungry many days – unless I got free food and toiletries from departing guests and help from domestic agencies on the rare occasion.
I was expected to be on duty 24 hours a day - to answer phones, do bookings and attend to any guest queries, complaints, emergencies etc. I was responsible for the safety of the guests and I had to attend to ‘an emergency fire evacuation’ and ‘burst bathroom pipe’ at this time. But I was told this was ‘not working’. My official 5 hours a day in the office, with a maximum of 15 hours in exchange for a room only. Occasionally I got paid for all the extra hours – which would amount to $1.50 per hour, which essentially is slavery. Many times, I did not get any financial compensation and was told that I could leave at any time if I did not like the employment terms.
I was desperate and knew that I would land up living on the streets, so I had to paste a smile on my face for guests and continue to be exploited and manipulated. I thought that I would endure this hell for a year and have the experience to start applying to re-enter the ‘legitimate workforce’ – A few weeks later, doing handover, the owner got a call to verify a glowing reference in writing for an ex-manager. It was disgusting the things that she said about the person and I realised that I was doubly screwed after working my arse off for a year to get a current reference that I would not use and could not use, as this woman would do the same thing to me.
I finally left due to the stress and my health deteriorating– being exploited and manipulated was no longer worth it. I was given 48 hours to clear out, despite being in the hospital. Not even so much as a thank you text for all my hard work after I left this place.
I have now run out of means and money to survive and pay for my possessions to be stored (the items in storage will be needed for me to start my new life). I need help with basic living expenses, bond, rent, utilities, bus fare, medication, medical expenses, phone credit and especially food as I have gone without food way too many days.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for any donation – my faith and hope for a happier and brighter future is what carries me now, as I barely have the strength left to continue another day.
Donating or sharing my story and GoFundMe page by reposting it would mean so much to me.
Desi xo
Many people are not aware that as a New Zealand Citizen, you are only permitted to live and work in Australia. You are not allowed to vote, you are not given any form of assistance or benefits when you leave a domestic violent relationship, and you are excluded from more than 98% of domestic violence services.
I am South African born but hold a New Zealand passport – unfortunately, that excluded me from accessing any help from most of domestic violence outreaches. It also excludes me from any form of benefits from Centrelink. Many people are not aware of this information. I have been told time after time to get ready to live on the streets. Or return to New Zealand without my daughters’. That is not an option.
I applied for Financial Hardship through the Court process and my ex-husband was ordered to pay me $15 000 cash settlement with immediate effect – what a joke, he paid this in bits and pieces over 16 months. I was in the process of being evicted due to him stopping spousal maintenance, with no warning. Two-thirds of this money went on back pay in rent and to place my belongings in storage. The remainder was to pay for basics like food, medication, bus-fare etc. I have now run out of money and have no income. So, I was paid a cash settlement of $1000 for every year I spent with him. I had no career to fall back on. I had nothing.
After another 18 months, I was finally granted Legal Aid – and Final Property Settlement was reached. I have now found out after a further 8 months that my ex-husband had no legal right to ‘offer Superannuation from New Zealand’ as it is against the law. I will not see a cent of the money that I was planning to use to start a new life and move on. The ‘Aussie Superannuation’ is also inaccessible as ‘I am not deemed in hardship’ because I am not a Centrelink beneficiary – so I cannot use these funds either. My medical issues are not severe enough to be granted help, despite numerous blackouts in public. What is hardship really – who defines hardship – the government???
I have applied for over 200 employment opportunities in the last 6 months, despite my health issues – I suffer from vertigo, random blackouts, chronic lower back pain. I have landed up in the hospital more than a dozen times in the last 18 months. My symptoms and health is deteriorating due to prolonged and ongoing stress and anxiety, according to medical experts. I have only been granted four interviews. Two of them told me that I was over-qualified, even though I was employed in a similar position elsewhere. But due to not having current immediate superiors as references, this posed a bigger problem and I was not able to progress further.
I managed to find myself employment a year ago, in exchange for accommodation. I worked hard, starting in cleaning and became the manager of the guest house quickly. But I had to deal with another manipulator who would exploit me, knowing that I had nowhere to go. My terms of employment kept changing. I would get offered different days and money, but nothing really came to fruition. When I dared to ask about getting paid, as I was struggling and going hungry many days – unless I got free food and toiletries from departing guests and help from domestic agencies on the rare occasion.
I was expected to be on duty 24 hours a day - to answer phones, do bookings and attend to any guest queries, complaints, emergencies etc. I was responsible for the safety of the guests and I had to attend to ‘an emergency fire evacuation’ and ‘burst bathroom pipe’ at this time. But I was told this was ‘not working’. My official 5 hours a day in the office, with a maximum of 15 hours in exchange for a room only. Occasionally I got paid for all the extra hours – which would amount to $1.50 per hour, which essentially is slavery. Many times, I did not get any financial compensation and was told that I could leave at any time if I did not like the employment terms.
I was desperate and knew that I would land up living on the streets, so I had to paste a smile on my face for guests and continue to be exploited and manipulated. I thought that I would endure this hell for a year and have the experience to start applying to re-enter the ‘legitimate workforce’ – A few weeks later, doing handover, the owner got a call to verify a glowing reference in writing for an ex-manager. It was disgusting the things that she said about the person and I realised that I was doubly screwed after working my arse off for a year to get a current reference that I would not use and could not use, as this woman would do the same thing to me.
I finally left due to the stress and my health deteriorating– being exploited and manipulated was no longer worth it. I was given 48 hours to clear out, despite being in the hospital. Not even so much as a thank you text for all my hard work after I left this place.
I have now run out of means and money to survive and pay for my possessions to be stored (the items in storage will be needed for me to start my new life). I need help with basic living expenses, bond, rent, utilities, bus fare, medication, medical expenses, phone credit and especially food as I have gone without food way too many days.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for any donation – my faith and hope for a happier and brighter future is what carries me now, as I barely have the strength left to continue another day.
Donating or sharing my story and GoFundMe page by reposting it would mean so much to me.
Desi xo
Organizer
Desi Lang
Organizer
Wavell Heights QLD
