At his National Press Club address, Minister Mark Butler announced changes to NDIS eligibility for children he described as having "mild to moderate autism" and developmental delay.
This announcement has been met with outrage from the autistic community and disability advocates, who warn that the move is discriminatory, dangerous, and based on political spin rather than evidence.
As stated by Senator Jordon Steele-John, Greens spokesperson for Disability Inclusion and the NDIS:
"Autistic Australians are being used as a political football, and that is simply unacceptable.
"Autism is lifelong. There is no growing out of it. The Minister's suggestion otherwise denies reality and risks stripping people of the supports they need to thrive.
"Autistic Australians deserve support from our government. They do not deserve further stigmatisation and the rug to be pulled out from under them by a politician on the national stage because this government is trying to balance its bottom line.
"This announcement is discriminatory, and it will drive poorer outcomes and increase risks of harm. Autistic people are already experiencing poorer mental health, and they are already three to four times more likely to die by suicide.
"Politicians are making up definitions. Terms like "mild" and "moderate" autism have no clinical basis. They are political inventions, misleading the public and showing deep ignorance.
"This announcement was not co-designed, and there's no lived experience at its heart. It's political theatre at the expense of our community.
"The so-called replacement programs are flawed. The government is pointing to programs such as Inklings and Thriving Kids. Inklings is designed for babies aged 6 - 18 months, and already, we have raised serious concerns about transparency and practice. Thriving Kids is a last-minute curveball without evidence to back it. A few medical appointments cannot replace lifelong disability supports.
"The autistic community has already endured decades of exclusion, harmful therapies, and being misunderstood. This announcement is deeply shameful. People are scared, and once again, neurodivergent Australians are being left behind. They deserve real support from their government-not stigma, spin, and cuts dressed up as reform."
