letter to Prime Minister about inappropriate response from Health Department

By convenor | Tue, 5/1/2021 - 11:14

Previously, A4 wrote to the Prime Minister about an incident where police were called to a school and a young student was handcuffed. The Prime Minister did not respond.

A4 received a response (MC20-042016) from the federal Health Department to its letter to the Prime Minister.

The Health Department's response is extremely disappointing: it ignores the issues raised and shows severe misunderstanding of the needs of autistic Australians.

A4 wrote back immediately.

The Hon Scott Morrison MP
Prime Minister
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600

FoI response from PM&C

By convenor | Sat, 26/12/2020 - 00:00

A4 sent a Freedom of Information request to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet on 24/11/2020

The Department sent its response on 24/12/2020 - see links to the documents below.

Basically, the documents show how little regard the Government has for members of the community, especially the more vulnerable members of the community. The Government's goal was to provide the most minimal response to issues and concerns raised.

Subject:
Freedom of Information Request - records and responses to contact message form

PMC FOI/2020/274 - Freedom of information

By convenor | Wed, 16/12/2020 - 00:00

Subject:
Re: FOI/2020/274 - Freedom of information - request for advice concerning your request [SEC=OFFICIAL]

Date:
Tue, 15 Dec 2020 15:28:24 +1100

From:
Bob Buckley (A4 Convenor) <convenor@a4.org.au>

To:
FOI <FOI@pmc.gov.au>

Dear madam/sir

I'm sorry but my email system put the email below into my spam folder. I only found it today when I had a call from your section looking for a response.

belated response from Health representative

By convenor | Wed, 9/12/2020 - 09:03

A4 wrote to The Hon G. Hunt MP, Minister for Health, on 11/8/2020 about mental health support for autistic Australians. Having not received a reply, A4 wrote again on the 1/11/2020 (see A4's email to the Minister).

A4 received an  email on 8/12/2020 (at 6.22pm) that contained a PDF file of a letter (reference MC20-033766) dated 28/9/2020 (see below). It seems to have taken over 2 months to email this letter to A4.

The letter claims:

unanswered question about the Government's war on autistic Australians

By convenor | Mon, 7/12/2020 - 09:29

Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia (A4) received a letter (MC20-161556, 27/11/2020 — see below) from The Hon. Ben  Morton MP, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The letter references A4's letter to the Prime Minister on 9/10/2020 (see https://a4.org.au/node/2243).

The letter to the Prime Minister asks one simple question:

What steps will you take to cease the war these Government officials are waging on Autistic Australians?  

The letter also highlights A4's unanswered questions policy.

mental health support for autistic Australians - unanswered questions

By convenor | Sun, 1/11/2020 - 08:01
Subject: Fwd: mental health support for autistic Australians
Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2020 07:51:28 +1100
From: Bob Buckley (A4 Convenor) <convenor@a4.org.au>
To: Minister.Hunt@health.gov.au

The Hon Greg Hunt MP
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives, Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600

Dear Minister The Hon Greg Hunt MP

Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia (A4) has not received a response to the email below. This means A4's Unanswered Questions policy comes into effect.

Response to email to Minister Robert regarding Expert Reference Group to implement the National Guideline for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Australia

By convenor | Thu, 22/10/2020 - 08:47

Subject:
Re: Response to email to Minister Robert regarding Expert Reference Group to implement the National Guideline for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Australia [SEC=OFFICIAL]

Date:
Thu, 22 Oct 2020 08:41:53 +1100

From:
Bob Buckley (A4 Convenor) <convenor@a4.org.au>

Organisation:
Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia

To:
Autism Policy <AutismPolicy@dss.gov.au>

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