Convenor's Message: toward a National Autism Strategy
I apologise for being so long between A4 Updates. I have no excuse.
We've been busy since the federal election. The new government promised a National Autism Strategy (NAS) and A4 has been working hard, with others in the autism sector (especially the Australian Autism Alliance, ASfAR and Amaze), to help the government create the best National Autism Strategy that we can. So far, the Department of Health and Ageing has been the agency that is most interested in moving forward (see Brief & meeting with Health officials - a National Autism Strategy in health and an Autism Roadmap). Other key government departments and agencies seem to be waiting for "guidance" from the coming Budget.
A4's main role is systemic advocacy. That means we advise the government and others what is happening for autistic people, and how better policy and programs can improve the lives of autistic people. Our advocacy work is visible on our website: see https://a4.org.au/advocacy and is the list below.