Matters of Interest

Autism Strategy

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (16:20): Who does not like world firsts? I like world firsts. I like delivering on election commitments too.

The Hon. B.R. Hood: Really?

The Hon. J.E. HANSON: You know what? I will come back to that, the Hon. Mr Hood. Here is a little story first. My son Hollis is quite simply the best little guy. He is an amazing kid. He is intelligent and he is articulate. He is happy, he is a perfectionist, he is a dreamer, he has an endless hunger for new experiences and, like one in four families in Australia, Hollis brings the experience of having autism to my family.

When Hollis was quite young and started to demonstrate a couple of behaviours that gave my family a few reasons to question, his GP insisted, 'Absolutely not. He is just intelligent. He doesn't want to play with the other kids because they are boring to him. No way is this child autistic. You'll see.' Well, fast-forward a few years and because we pursued a diagnosis against that well-meaning but very incorrect advice, Hollis was diagnosed with autism early enough that he started school, albeit a year later than he otherwise might have done, with 18 months of therapy under his belt.

By the time of starting reception a few weeks after his sixth birthday, he was communicating verbally, which at the time was a pretty big deal. Now, four years on, Hollis has the command of language of someone well past his own age. Fact: early intervention works. Hollis' story, sadly, is not typical, but it really should be. It is why we need world firsts. It is why we have delivered on our election commitment today—this morning, in fact—to have South Australia's first autism strategy.

I pay tribute to our Premier, to Minister Cook and to the world-first Assistant Minister for Autism, Emily Bourke, for delivering it and so much more. The strategy builds on the tens of millions already invested by the Malinauskas government to put autism inclusion teachers into every public primary school. We created it by consulting with the autistic and autism communities. We received over 1,300 submissions to help inform it. It gives direction to the Department of Human Services to develop seven action plans that will help autistic people to succeed and to thrive.

These action plans cover things like pathways to diagnosis, education needs, workplace needs, how to access supports, how to access health and mental health services, participation in community and interactions, where needed, with the justice system. So do we need it? You bet we do. You see, Hollis is not a massive fan of school, not because he does not like learning but because he prefers to learn about things that he is interested in. Hollis likes asking huge, thoughtful questions but does not always want to wait around in the classroom to ask them.

Without diagnosis, an SSO to support him and a primary school that is on top of it—thank you, Rose Park Primary—I reckon Hollis, despite being smart and capable, would probably struggle in the classroom. And that is just it, is it not? One in four people have an autistic family member like I do. Then one in four people are probably looking at their family member like I do, wondering if we can do more.

Autistic people of every age have different needs than people who are not autistic; their brains receive, process and output information differently than neurotypical brains do, but the enormous diversity amongst autistic people, the diversity in the ways that autism affects them, the diversity of the ways in which they experience and interact with the world around them, and the diversity in just about every other aspect, means that no two autistic people have the exact same needs or experiences.

However, one very consequential thing about every autistic South Australian that they all have in common is the environment in which they live, and the institutions and systems with which they interact are not designed with their needs in mind. That is why it is so important to make South Australia inclusive for all autistic people. That is why we need a strategy, a strategy informed by the autistic community, with their future and current needs in mind.

When does it begin? Well, it already has: the Autism Works employment campaign, autism assessments on school sites, and a charter being rolled out across government are just that, a beginning—the beginning of a better South Australia so that people like Hollis do not have to be lucky to thrive.