Re: Letter from Minister Stephen-Smith
Sun, 8 Apr 2018 12:03:58 +1000
Bob Buckley (A4 Convenor <convenor@a4.org.au>
Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia (A4)
Minister R. Stephen-Smith MLA
ACT Legislative Assembly
Thank you for your reply and for your apparent intervention.
Please note that I met with Mss Faulkner, McClelland and O'Neill in January 2018 (and previously in December 2016) with the alleged purpose "to discuss [A4's] concerns"; but the meetings were not discussions. I explained what happened in the latest meeting in my previous letter; the NDIA officials were unprepared for the meetings so they did not discuss A4's concerns related to early intervention for autistic children.
I have referred your feedback to management for consideration.
Yours sincerely,
Kate Lynch
Executive Officer
Administrative Appeals Tribunal
Principal Registry
Dear Ms Lynch
Thank you for your interest. However, I am concerned that ongoing reviews of decisions relating to young children who need early intervention are delayed indefinitely in the AAT process.
Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia, known as A4, is the national grass-roots advocacy group representing autistic people and others living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A4 and others in the ASD community have tried to engage with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) from the outset. But there has been very little progress.