15/08/2026
The ACT now has a Minister for Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity.
I spoke with the ABC about what the new portfolio could mean for Autistic and neurodivergent people in Canberra. My main point was that representation and consultation need to translate into actual partnership with and positive outcomes for our community.
There is a lot of expertise within the Autistic (and other neurodivergent) communities, including people who work professionally in this space. If the ACT is serious about improving outcomes, that expertise needs to be part of the process, not something people have to keep advocating to have heard.
I also raised a question about why autism has been separated from neurodivergence in the portfolio. At the time of the interview, I had not been able to find a definition of what the ACT Government will include under “neurodivergence”.
I use neurodivergent in its broadest sense: people whose ways of thinking, communicating, sensing, learning or experiencing the world significantly diverge from neuronormativity. This is consistent with how the term has been developed within the neurodivergent community, including through the work of Kassiane Asasumasu, a Lived Experience Educator, and others.
It will be interesting to see how the new portfolio defines its scope, and more importantly, how that definition translates into policy and practice: how will this improve the lives of Autistic people?
The ABC article is here:
Neurodivergent support organisations welcome the creation of a dedicated autism and neurodiversity portfolio in the ACT government, but say the government needs to work alongside neurodivergent Canberrans to improve support systems.
