ACT missing health and disability supports for autistic people

Subject:	ACT missing health and disability supports for autistic people
Date:	Thu, 1 Jul 2021 10:25:10 +1000
From:	Bob Buckley (SOfASD Chair) <chair@sofasd.org.au>
Reply-To:	chair@sofasd.org.au

ACT's dysfunctional support for autistic people

like a stop sign but says "No. Wrong door."

Date:	Fri, 11 Jun 2021 10:48:19 +1000
From:	Bob Buckley (SOfASD Chair) <chair@sofasd.org.au>
Organisation:	Speaking Out for Autism Spectrum Disorder, Canberra and the Australian Capital Territory
To:	barr@act.gov.au, Andrew Barr <info@actlabor.org.au>
CC:	Sara Stanley <sara@adacas.org.au>, Ms Emma Davidson MLA <davidson@act.gov.au>, gentleman@act.gov.au, Alicia.Payne.MP@aph.gov.au, Rachel Stephen-Smith <rachel@rachelstephensmith.org>, Craig Shannon (PWDACT) <unity2600@gmail.com>, actcoss@actcoss.org.au, info@advocacyforinclusion.org

Dear Chief Minister

I write to you as a systemic advocate for autistic people. Systemically, the ACT Government's former "no wrong door" policy has become a "no right door" policy. Note: the "no wrong door" policy was missing its punctuation, while the "no right door" has none.The letter below asks that a person who lodged multiple complaints with the ACT Police complaints department some time ago is asked "to contact them herself" apparently to lodge another complaint about complaints not being processed. This suggested course of action is:

Letter from Minister Berry

Organisation:
Subject:	Re: Letter from Minister Berry
Date:	Thu, 15 Apr 2021 18:05:41 +1000
From:	Bob Buckley (SOfASD Chair) <chair@sofasd.org.au>
Reply-To:	chair@sofasd.org.au

NDIS rejecting autistic children

Reply-To:
Subject:	NDIS rejecting autistic children
Date:	Thu, 10 Dec 2020 09:17:26 +1100
From:	Bob Buckley (SOfASD Chair) <chair@sofasd.org.au>

FoI: AFP (ACT police) training related to Autism Spectrum Disorder

The police in the ACT made various statements to our Legislative Assembly and to the media. SOfASD wanted more detail.

The first request was ...

... for any information held by the AFP showing that autism is a mental health issue, or that ACT police or other parts of the ACT Government regard autism as a mental health issue.

This response shows training material about Intellectual Disability that fails to properly represent issues relevent to autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The second request was ...

Canberra Health Services Disability Needs Assessment and Action Plan

Organization:
Subject:	Re: Canberra Health Services Disability Needs Assessment and Action Plan
Date:	Thu, 20 Aug 2020 09:28:06 +1000
From:	Bob Buckley (SOfASD Chair) <chair@sofasd.org.au>

Thanks for your Youth Mental Health in the ACT report

Subject: Thanks for your Youth Mental Health in the ACT report
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 2020 08:10:29 +1000
From: Bob Buckley (SOfASD Chair) <chair@sofasd.org.au>
To: LA Committee - EEYA <LACommitteeEEYA@parliament.act.gov.au>

Correspondence from Minister Rattenbury & Discussion request

Date: Fri, 14 Aug 2020 10:49:48 +1000
From: Bob Buckley (SOfASD Chair) <chair@sofasd.org.au>
To: RATTENBURY <RATTENBURY@act.gov.au>
CC: STEPHEN-SMITH <STEPHEN-SMITH@act.gov.au>, barr@act.gov.au

Dear Minister Rattenbury

ACT Government ignoring autism concerns

Media Release

Speaking Out for Autism Spectrum Disorder (SOfASD) is deeply disappointed that the ACT Government continues to ignore concerns of the ASD community in the ACT.

The Minister for Mental Health asked officials to review supports for people with intellectual disability and for autistic people in the ACT. Health officials held a secret working group on intellectual disability but subsequent Freedom of Information request revealed that officials ignored the needs of autistic people.

SOfASD contacted the ACT Health and Mental Health ministers. They said they would “get back to [us] in a couple of weeks” … but they didn’t.

Autistic lives matter too

The ACT Government's response so far to community concern (in relation to a letter from the community) see is completely unacceptable. An FoI revealed that ACT Health officials dropped (ignored?) Ministerial instructions to review services for autistic Canberrans. Despite contact with health and mental health ministers, there is no discernible progress since despite commitments "to get back to us in a couple of weeks".

News