Australia has its first ever National Autism Strategy.
Along with an associated Action Plan, the government says the documents aim to improve inclusion, support and life outcomes for Australians on the spectrum.
It’s been designed in consultation with autistic people as a national approach to breaking down the barriers that prevent autistic people from accessing equal opportunities in our society.
But despite this, some advocates hold concerns.
First, let’s recap the strategy itself.
What does the strategy include?
There are four key outcome areas in the Strategy and Action Plan. These are:
- Social inclusion;
- Economic inclusion;
- Diagnosis, services and supports; and
- Health and mental health.
$42.3 million in funding has been set aside to implement the Action Plan, including:
- $19.9 million over four years for a peer support program to provide lived-experience knowledge, empathy and culturally tailored advice for Autistic people;
- Enhancing community understanding, awareness and acceptance of Autism through $915,000 over two years for new awareness and education initiatives;
- Improving the diagnosis process through $445,000 in 2025-26 for resources to support Autistic people and their families with pre- and post-diagnosis information;
- Boosting pathways to meaningful employment through $915,000 over two years to improve employment opportunities and support for Autistic people;
- $12.2 million over five years for a dedicated knowledge translation body, which will ensure academic research into neurodiversity informs and improves the policies and services impacting Autistic people’s lives day to day;
- $3.7 million over two years to work with Autistic people and the autism community to evaluate existing programs aiming to improve their lives, to identify what works, where there are gaps and opportunities for improvement;
- Identifying ways to improve Australian Government services, supports, information and the safety and welfare of Autistic people; and
- $2.8 million over four years for a comprehensive epidemiological study to identify the true prevalence of autism in Australia, which will underpin future policy development.
Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth said the government will continue to work with autistic people as it implements the Strategy and Action Plan.
What’s next?
Not everyone is impressed by the new documents. Multiple advocates, including Grace Tame, have cautioned that there is more to be done.
River Night is among them. He’s a co-founder of Developing Australian Communities and an adult with autism.
He said at the moment, the government’s National Autism Strategy is “the sort of strategy that you create when you want to look like you’re doing something when you don’t want to have to do too much, and you don’t want to have to spend too much”.
On the strategy’s focus on awareness raising and knowledge translation, he said much of the information and resources already exist in the hands of autism advocates and research bodies – it simply needs to be better shared around the country.
“All the content they could possibly ever want has already been translated from research into evidence-based practice. And it’s not something we need to start; it’s something we need to just simply pick up and send it around the country,” he said.
He is also concerned about how the strategy will address on-the-ground services for adults and children with autism – especially as the NDIS undergoes further reform and the community waits for more information on foundational supports.
“There’s no funding in there or discussion about actual service provision at any state level or national level,” he said.
Sebastian Langdon-Macmillan was an autistic youth representative on the National Autism Strategy Oversight Council that co-designed the strategy with the minister. He said it was a comprehensive process.
Now on the other side and able to look at the finished document, he said he feels a sense of accomplishment.
“We’re only one of a handful of nations on the planet with an autism strategy, and I’m really glad to see how it improves the lives of autistic people,” Langdon-Macmillan said.
“It’s got a lot of concrete actions across a range of different areas to really support and improve outcomes. But it’s grounded in a vision with some core values, for example co-design, partnership, accessibility, ongoing consultation.”
He said the strategy is a commitment to implementing practical ways of improving the lives of autistic Australians and elements to support different people at different stages of their lives, from diagnosis to employment.
Acknowledging the cautious reactions from some advocates, Langdon-Macmillan said he believes the strategy will see better coordination, advocacy and sharing of resources with people who haven’t been in touch with the autism community previously, like employers.
“Personally, I feel that… the broader community still needs more support to understand autistic people… [the strategy is] a really clear first step. I know that people are cautious, but I think that we’ve come out with an action plan that has a lot of steps that can be taken immediately and with national commitments that are going to provide space for the future.
“I hope that people bear with us. I hope that people give us the opportunity to show that this strategy is going to change people’s lives.”
Read more about the National Autism Strategy in our sister publication, Freedom 2 Live.