Autism

Mr TELFER (Flinders) (15:18): My question is to the Minister for Human Services. Has the minister met with or spoken to the federal minister in relation to retaining funding for people with autism? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr TELFER: It was reported that the federal government will introduce steeper requirements for children with autism to access the NDIS and it is currently unclear how this may impact South Australians with autism.

The Hon. N.F. COOK (Hurtle Vale—Minister for Human Services) (15:18): Thank you very much for the question. Broadly, we have attended many commonwealth/state meetings around disability reform. There has been, of course, the royal commission into the abuse and neglect of people with disability that has been handed down, which has hundreds of recommendations that we are working through. On top of that, there has been a very deep review into the NDIS itself, and I am now in receipt of a copy of that report to work with our Premier and our team in relation to how we will work with the government moving forward to improve, in fact, the NDIS for many years into the future. We have not seen or have not delivered on any of these particular announcements that you are alleging have been made. We have yet to see the outcomes of—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. N.F. COOK: We are yet to see the outcomes of those discussions which will happen at national cabinet, so there are no decisions at this stage being made. What you might be discussing is just mere speculation.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!