PEOPLE with autism could find it easier to get support under a Federal Government overhaul, but some say the plan may not deliver genuine change.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth launched Australia’s first national autism strategy and action plan that will focus on improving social and economic inclusion, diagnosis and services, and health.
“We heard you when you told us that many barriers autistic people face happen every day in their lives,” she told reporters in Perth.
“Now, this strategy lays the foundations to break down these barriers and create a more inclusive society.”
Ms Rishworth said the plan tackled key issues identified by autistic people.
The $42.3 million strategy outlines 22 commitments to boost wellbeing, and earmarks almost $3 million to identify the prevalence of autism in Australia.
Another $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.
While People with Disability Australia has welcomed the strategy, there are concerns about whether children with autism could fall through the cracks.
This plan is rolling out at the same time as reforms to the government’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), where thousands of people with autism have had their eligibility reassessed.
About half of the seven- and eight-year-olds who have undergone reassessment have been removed from the scheme, and a large proportion of them are children with autism, according to the advocacy organisation.
The foundational supports, which are supposed to help those with autism who are no longer on the NDIS, are not yet ready and it’s unclear whether this autism strategy will provide the resources needed, People with Disability Australia deputy CEO Megan Spindler-Smith said.
“This overlap in this issue means that it could go backwards rather than forwards if it’s not well managed.
“There’s not enough clear detail around whether or not this strategy is going to deliver genuine change.”
Though the government’s plan has been praised for the positive impact it will have on early intervention, employment and higher education, there are worries support could rely on a diagnosis.
It can cost several thousand dollars to receive an autism diagnosis, and while the strategy offers up to $455,000 for pre- and post-diagnosis resources, Spindler-Smith said it was not enough.
“Wait times are going to continually balloon and the services need to grow.”
National Autism Strategy Oversight Council member and associate professor Josephine Barbaro said the strategy was “probably a once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to make lasting change, and its statement that the need for change “sits with society as a whole” was a powerful one.
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,” Ms Gibellini said.
She said the study of autism’s prevalence would provide real data.
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 judgment about their ability to parent.
“This really gives me great hope,” Ms Gibellini 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.”
The strategy, which will inform the federal government’s policy approach, runs from 2025 to 2031.
