Warning about financial abuse of First Nations elders as lack of digital literacy risks security
Financial abuse can include being coerced to hand over cash to loved ones. (ABC News: Tristan Hooft)
In short:
There are concerns the extent of the financial abuse of First Nations elders is hidden.
Kimberley Community Legal Services say abuse, known as "humbugging" in Indigenous communities, can accompany other forms of family violence.
What's Next?
A spokesperson for the Attorney-General, Michelle Rowland says a 10-year national plan to end the abuse and mistreatment of older people, including a section for First Nations people, will be released soon and research has been commissioned.
Experts are warning elders are suffering in silence and are calling for more awareness around financial abuse to understand how it manifests within families and communities.
The Aged Discrimination Commission believes elder abuse is under-reported, and more likely among First Nations communities.
Family members watching over elderly people at the ATM and demanding cash, taking advantage of their online banking details, siphoning money from redress payments and racking up debt in their name — these are some examples that counsellors, lawyers and social workers have told the ABC they see.
In the Kimberley region of Western Australia, Richard Willmot works with clients experiencing elder abuse and family violence.
Richard Willmot says he takes the clients personally to the bank to put in protections. (ABC: Andrew Seabourne)
The Wakka Wakka man and case worker at the Kimberley Community Legal Services believes financial abuse is "common practice at the moment", but is often "unspoken".
In this region, repeatedly demanding money without any plans to repay can be known as "humbugging".
"Mainly, it would be paydays where they can grab the card or coerce the elderly person into purchasing something for them," he said.
"Or they go shopping and just put stuff in the trolley that the elderly person doesn't know about."
The Legal Service commissioned the Indigenous-owned consultancy firm Kimberley Jiyigas to undertake surveys and create resources, and found for half of the respondents, they believed that financial abuse was occurring frequently.
Targeted resources in the Kimberley region aim to raise awareness of the issue. (Supplied: Kimberley Jiyigas/ Vimeo)
One Aboriginal grandfather told them that "in isolated areas, 'humbugging' was extreme."
Mr Willmot said "humbugging" could be accompanied by other forms of family violence.
"It can include emotional abuse, coercion and controlling behaviours," he said.
"When it affects the home, it affects it by overcrowding, or damaging the property or people refusing to leave.
"It becomes not just a financial issue, it then becomes a tenancy issue as well."
Bettina Copper says financial education is needed from an early age. (ABC News: Kirstie Wellauer)
Bettina Cooper from the First Nations financial counselling service, Mob Strong Debt Help, said she preferred using the term "financial abuse" rather than the community word "humbugging".
"I believe humbugging started off as a much lighter term, and I think it takes away from the word financial abuse,"she said.
"It's financial abuse when you take money from somebody who cannot afford it and they go without basics."
Ms Cooper, a Boandik woman, said elders did not have the same financial and digital literacy, leading them to rely on help from others.
"We know they're more likely to seek help accessing basic services like banking and Services Australia and the minute you have to go to a third party to access your secure data, you are at risk," she said.
Cultural obligations of resource sharing
Lynda Edwards says sharing resources is fine, if that favour is returned. (Supplied)
When it comes to family, First Nations people respect cultural obligations to share resources, but the director of First Nations policy at Financial Counselling Australia , Lynda Edwards, says there is a line that can be crossed.
"Financial abuse is not cultural obligation,"the Wangkumara and Barkandji woman said.
"That's fine to share with your family as long as your family is sharing with you.
"When we think about the financial abuse of our elders, it is where there's no reciprocation, where they're just giving out money to family and the family are not looking after them."
She said that could have detrimental impacts on their health and wellbeing.
"We have elders that are living on two-minute noodles,"she said.
"We have elders that can't afford their electricity or that are not using their heaters because in the wintertime they can't afford to pay the bill."
Financial abuse under-reported
Elder abuse is an issue nationwide among all communities — the 2020 Elder Abuse Prevalence Study found that one in six Australians aged 65 and older had experienced some form of abuse.
Robert Fitzgerald, the Aged Discrimination Commissioner, said elder abuse was "often very hidden".
"Partly, it's got to do with shame," he said.
"Shame about the fact that, particularly, members of your own family are abusing you. Often it's connected with quite coercive control or psychological abuse.
"Often people don't know where to go in a safe way to report these matters."
The federal government's elder abuse hotline last year received just under 9,000 calls, but the details of how many were First Nations callers nationally is not recorded. These calls are redirected to state helplines.
A Queensland inquiry last year found the number of calls from First Nations people to the state's elder abuse hotline was 1.5 times higher than would be expected from their share of the population.
Another survey of 92 Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and mainstream service providers, conducted by IPS Management Consultants for the Western Australian government, found that "financial abuse is the main form of mistreatment of older Aboriginal people".
It found poverty, housing and food security were drivers of elder mistreatment to access their money.
Community members say the elderly are often targeted on payday. (ABC News: Nick Haggarty)
The real rate of elder abuse is likely under-reported due to safety concerns, according to Kim Whiteley, the chief executive of National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Ageing and Aged Care Council (NATSIAACC).
"Many Elders fear that speaking up could trigger formal interventions that harm family relationships,"Ms Whiteley said.
"Without culturally safe reporting pathways, silence can feel like the safest option."
Advice on how to stop financial abuse
Free First Nations financial counselling services can provide guidance and advice to people impacted by financial abuse or their concerned family members.
Siobhan Doyle helps clients navigate financial concerns. (Supplied)
Siobhan Doyle from the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS) said they more commonly saw family members reaching out, concerned about their loved ones being pressured.
She said VALS' assistance could range from helping clients change passwords and pin numbers to mediating on their behalf with banks and telephone companies.
"If an elder has signed up a bunch of their family to phone plans in their name, we could contact the phone company and sort it out that way,"Ms Doyle said.
An intervention order is one option for extreme cases, but her clients often want to avoid legal avenues.
Financial Counselling Australia's Lynda Edwards said that it was about working with those who were doing the harm and showing them how their behaviour was impacting their loved ones.
"I think that our elders are really calling out for assistance and support in this because they are being left with huge bills while supporting families,"she said.
Richard Willmot says financial abuse can take many forms. (ABC: Andrew Seabourne)
In Broome, Richard Willmot said he worked to empower elderly people so they felt in control of their finances.
Mr Willmot said he personally took clients to the bank to help them change their passwords and implement biometrics to prevent their money from being accessed without consent.
While major banks have dedicated phone lines for First Nations people, with the closure of physical services, Ms Cooper from Mob Strong wants to see more dedicated help.
The Queensland inquiry last year made sixteen recommendations to address the wider issue of elder abuse, including increasing support services to remote areas and enhanced data collection.
A spokesperson for the Attorney-General, Michelle Rowland, said a 10-year national plan to end the abuse and older people, including a section for First Nations people, would be released soon and research had been commissioned.
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