An urgent call from Autism Tasmania.
Autism Tasmania is calling for all candidates for the upcoming state election to pledge their commitment to Autism and to fund Autism Tasmania.
View the Candidate Pledge in Full
“The new Tasmanian Government needs the help of Autism Tasmania” said CEO, Donna Blanchard, “But please, help us continue to help the community too. A dangerous lag in funding puts the delivery of vital services and connections for autistic Tasmanians at risk.”
Due to the array of major national reforms, the new Tasmanian government is now responsible for leading the design, integration, and delivery of community services like never before. It’s not enough to go back to what we did before. These changes affect every portfolio area – education, health, justice, transport, community services. The days of a small ‘disability’ portfolio with low or no budgets are gone.
The new Tasmanian government needs to quickly build capacity to make the absolute best use of national reforms. This includes building the capacity of the community to unify to inform changes and to ensure that they are well coordinated and work to deliver smart and cost-effective sustained outcomes. National policy and programs perform best when tailored for the local community.
The first task of the incoming government is to understand its new community sector brief and remedy the dangerous lag in funding to community organisations. Because of national reforms, key organisations won’t receive national funding from July. This includes Autism Tasmania, representing an increasingly sizeable proportion of Tasmanians who know what will work for them.
There is an urgent need for the voice of Autistic Tasmanians, their families, and carers to be heard and to work with the Tasmanian government to take best advantage of these reforms. We need to use every cent of national funding well in Tasmania and we know that big national programs need locals to know how to build on what we do well here. Autism Tasmania knows how to do this.
Tasmania can lead again and be the first to make changes that work for Tasmanians. We must not be complacent and blindly follow national reforms.
Help us invest and build in readiness. As part of this, Autism Tasmania must be recognised and funded in the same way as other comparable organisations.
Find Out More and Stay Updated with Candidate Replies HERE
Autism Tasmania acknowledges the Australian Aboriginal people as the first inhabitants of the nation and the traditional custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. 
Our logo symbolises the rare native Tasmania orchid (Thelymitra or sun orchid). This fascinating plant is a significant part of the flora of Tasmania. It's flowers are blue, pink, or yellow. This logo inspires our mission. Just like the autism community, this extraordinary plant blooms "only when the conditions are right!"
