Improving the lives of autistic people and dismantling harmful attitudes barring their participation in society are the goals of a new $42.3 million plan.
Australia’s first national autism strategy will be launched on Tuesday by Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth, outlining 22 commitments to boost wellbeing.
Almost $20 million across four years will go to a peer support program to provide lived-experience advice for autistic people under an initial two-year action plan to roll out practical measures.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth is launching Australia’s first national autism strategy. (Jane Dempster/AAP PHOTOS)
Almost $3 million has been earmarked for a study to identify the prevalence of autism in Australia.
Social and economic inclusion, diagnosis and services, and health are the key areas the strategy and the first action plan will focus on achieving.
Oversight Council co-chair and autistic person Clare Gibellini, who helped develop the blueprint, said its existence recognised change was needed.
“It’s a very significant opportunity to change some of the narrative around autistic people as problems to be solved, continuing a real leadership relationship with the autistic community, and making sure that our voices are heard as we move forward,” she told AAP.
Ms Gibellini said the study of autism’s prevalence would provide real data, saying “if we’re not counted, we can’t have good outcomes”.
Women, girls and gender-diverse people were identified by the strategy as facing “substantial disadvantages” due to misconceptions it primarily affected men and boys, leading to under-diagnosis and inadequate support.
Autistic women were found to only discover their neurodivergence later in life, with mothers facing judgement about their ability to parent.
Ms Gibellini said so many women and Indigenous people fell through the cracks due to societal misconceptions.
Societal misconceptions about autism mean many women and Indigenous people fall through the cracks. (Julian Smith/AAP PHOTOS)
“This really gives me great hope,” she said.
“It’s not about autism being the new cool thing, and it’s not about opening up floodgates to services and supports.
“This is about making sure that they get access to the supports and services they deserve.”
Employers also have a role to play and should create inclusive workplaces understanding the diversity and needs of autistic workers, the strategy says.
Bosses should be supported in hiring and retaining autistic employees under commitments in the blueprint to improve economic inclusion.
Oversight Council member and associate professor Josephine Barbaro said the strategy was “probably once in a lifetime” opportunity to make lasting change.
She said the strategy’s statement that the need for change “sits with society as a whole” was extremely powerful.
“It actually makes me quite emotional that my autistic son will grow up in a world that accepts him as he is,” she said.
The strategy, which will inform the federal government’s policy approach, runs from 2025 to 2031.