On Wednesday 19 June 2024, the Government of South Australia officially launched the first ever Autism Strategy –a five-year roadmap for South Australia to address the barriers faced by Autistic people across all life areas and support them to achieve their goals and aspirations. 

The launch of the Strategy marks a significant milestone in South Australia’s journey to being the nation’s leading autism inclusive state, and to build knowledge, understanding and sense of belonging for South Australia’s Autistic and autism communities.

Meaningful cultural change and greater inclusion in our community can only come about by consulting, listening, and creating open dialogue with the autistic and autism communities. 

The voices of South Australia’s Autistic and autism communities have been the driving force behind the development of this Strategy. Over 1,300 submissions were received during the first and second public consultation processes conducted by the Department of Human Services.

This process makes it one of the largest public consultation processes conducted on disability-related matters in South Australia and one of the most significant co-designed strategies to date.

The release of the SA Autism Strategy 2025-2029 will be followed by the development of 7 Action Plans to drive initiatives and improvements across each of the Strategy’s commitments.

The SA Autism Strategy 2024-2029 is now available to view online at the website autismstrategy.sa.gov.au

In this segment, we hear from Reece Turtur, Manager Strategy within the Department of Human Services’ Strategic Policy and Reform unit. Dasha Kolesik, Member of the State Autism Strategy Advisory Committee