Office for Autism

The Hon. R.B. MARTIN (14:35): My question is to the Minister for Autism. Will the minister please provide an update to the council on the Autism Awareness and Understanding training being rolled out by the Office for Autism?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Autism) (14:36): I thank the honourable member for his question and interest in training being delivered by the Office for Autism to build knowledge and understanding of autism. The Malinauskas Labor government is committed to helping make South Australia a leader when it comes to autism inclusion. That is why we established the Office for Autism in the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, placing autism inclusion at the heart and centre of government.

With approximately one in 70 Australians being autistic, and approximately one in four Australians having an autistic family member, it is important that we help build knowledge and understanding of autism, and the nation-leading Office for Autism is helping to do just that. Since its establishment, the office has been delivering its free Autism Awareness and Understanding training with overwhelmingly positive feedback.

The Office for Autism recently reached an important milestone in the delivery of this training: I am advised they have now trained more than 5,000 people. By the end of last month, I was advised that 5,836 people had participated in the training, with close to 4,000 of them being public sector employees. With the public sector being the biggest employer in South Australia, it means members of our largest workforce have new knowledge and understanding of autism and how they can better improve their workplaces.

The nation-leading training employs a strengths-based approach and covers what is autism, the myths and facts about autism, autistic strengths and strategies for autism inclusion. The training is designed to be easy and accessible, so it runs for just one hour, and attendees have the opportunity to ask questions of an autistic facilitator. The Office for Autism has developed the training through extensive consultation with the South Australian autistic and autism communities, and they have made sure it incorporates top research and information.

I am fortunate to have undertaken the training along with other members of this chamber. I have also had the opportunity to sit in countless training sessions with South Australians from all sorts of industries who are committed to supporting autism inclusion. A range of government and non-government workforces have participated in the training, including people working in health, education, construction, transport and more. The Office for Autism, with these different industries, has also tailored the training to suit the workforce.

Our government is committed to supporting South Australia to become the autism inclusion state. This is just a start, but it is the reason why more than 5,000 people across the health, education, community and justice sectors have now had access to this training.