Autism Intervention Program

Mr DULUK (Davenport) (14:59): My question is to the Minister for Education. Can the minister explain why the government has decided to close the Autism Intervention Program at Blackwood Primary School and Blackwood High School after it was only opened in 2013 following the 2010 Labor election commitment?

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Minister for Education and Child Development, Minister for Higher Education and Skills) (14:59): I will return with a more fulsome response for the member because I know that this is his electorate and he is genuinely interested in what is occurring with that school, which is of course my old school and so I pay a little bit of attention as well.

The issue that was raised with me was the effectiveness of the use of the money for the number of students who were participating and the effectiveness of the program on site, so we have not reduced the money that we are spending on supporting students with autism. It has been about a rebalancing of the way in which that was being offered to be more effective. I will refamiliarise myself with the detail and return with more detail.