In consultation with the autism community, Amaze writes policy advice and submissions to state and federal governments to ensure the needs of Autistic people and their families are voiced and heard to influence positive systemic change.
Below are the most recent submissions by Amaze that are available for download.
Amaze made a submission to the Foundational Supports for with developmental delay or disability and their families, carers and kin consultation paper.
This consultation paper invited submissions to help shape both General and Targeted supports for children under 7 and their families, carers and kin. Targeted supports refer to supports for children that need more assistance than mainstream services and General Foundational Supports can provide. They are intended to help families better understand and meet their children’s individual needs and include more tailored early intervention support (excluding NDIS Supports provided to NDIS participants).
Our submission referred to our General Foundational Supports submission, as relevant to children under 7 and their families, carers and kin, and reiterated our recommendations. We also endorsed, and in our submission highlighted our support for the expert and lived experience informed submission of the Child and Family Disability Alliance, a national alliance between Kindred (NSW), Kiind (WA) and Association for Children with Disability (Vic).
The Alliance brings significant expertise to the development of the General and Targeted Foundational Supports models for under 7s and we were thrilled to support their call for an ambitious Foundational Supports model that drives systemic change, strengthens the capacities of children and their family, carers and kin, and is peer and disability-led, with a nationally coherent approach anchored via a network of family-led organisations.
Our submission is available here.
The Australian and state/territory governments are still in the process of designing the new Foundational Supports model. The Australian Government has announced that it will commence rolling out the new model in the 2025-26 Financial Year.
More information about the development and commencement of Foundational Supports is available here.
Amaze made a submission to the General Foundational Supports consultation paper
The General Foundational Supports consultation paper focussed on information, support and referral (ISR) services and capacity building initiatives and resources (including peer support). General Foundational Supports will be available to all people with disability and their families, carers and kin, regardless of whether they are NDIS participants.
Our submission focussed on ensuring the new Foundational Supports model can meet the diverse needs of all Autistic people and their families, carers and kin. To help inform the new model, it shared our learnings, data and expertise from delivering ISR services and capacity building initiatives and resources for 50+ years, including Autism Connect, A-Plus and Autism Peer Assist. We also shared insights from our General Foundational Supports survey and focus group, held in October to help inform the submission.
Thank you again to everyone who shared their experiences and ideas with us directly or via the government’s consultation. It is vital that your perspectives are heard.
Focussing on the needs of Autistic people and their families, carers and kin, we submitted that the new model must:
Our submission is available here.
The Australian and state/territory governments are still in the process of designing the new Foundational Supports model. The Australian Government has announced that it will commence rolling out the new model in the 2025-26 Financial Year.
More information about the development and commencement of Foundational Supports is available here.
Amaze made a submission to the National Suicide Prevention Office’s (NSPO) advice on the National Suicide Prevention Strategy (consultation draft).
In our submission we welcomed the draft advice, particularly its comprehensive focus on prevention. We agreed with the NSPO that if implemented in full, it has the capacity to drive a sustainable and whole of governments approach to suicide prevention and ensure suicide prevention is considered in all relevant aspects of policy and program development.
Our submission is focused on ensuring the Strategy meets the needs of Autistic people. We recommend that:
Our submission is available here.
In January 2025, the Australian Government released its National Suicide Prevention Strategy (2025 – 2035). The Strategy recognises that people with disability experience much higher suicide rates than the general population. While it does not specifically recognise the higher prevalence of suicide among Autistic people or address our community’s specific needs, it does recognise that neurodivergent people can face challenges accessing diagnosis, treatment and support, and that these experiences may contribute to their disproportionate suicide risk.
The Strategy’s key recommendations include:
The full strategy or a summary can be accessed here.
Trigger Warning: Suicide & Mental Health
This content discusses suicide and mental health issues, which may be distressing for some readers. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out for support. Help is available.
Lifeline Australia – 13 11 14 (lifeline.org.au)
Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636 (beyondblue.org.au)
Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467 (suicidecallbackservice.org.au)
Kids Helpline (ages 5-25) – 1800 55 1800 (kidshelpline.com.au)
If you are in immediate danger, please call 000 or visit your nearest emergency department. You are not alone – Help and support are available.
Amaze made a submission to the Australian Government’s draft National Roadmap to Improve the Health and Mental Health of Autistic people.
Our submission welcomed the work undertaken to develop the draft Roadmap and agreed that if implemented in full, it has the capacity to significantly improve the health and mental health of Autistic Australians. To strengthen the roadmap, we recommended that further consideration be given to how it can enhance national consistency and drive service integration. We also recommend that the Roadmap specify targeted actions to:
Our submission is available here.
In February 2025, the Australian Government released its National Roadmap to Improve the Health and Mental Health of Autistic People 2025-2035. The Roadmap aims to address the breadth of issues faced by Autistic people in the Australian healthcare system. It focuses on actions to:
For more information, please see Amaze’s Overview and Frequently Asked Questions available here (link to this once up on website, currently saved at here).
Disappointingly, the Roadmap was released without any funding attached. Amaze will continue advocating for funding to support its full implementation and evaluation.
Amaze has made a submission to the Australian Governments review of Australia’s Disability Strategy (ADS).
Our submission highlights the importance of ensuring the ADS complements the National Autism Strategy, currently under development, and meets the needs of all Autistic people. It also highlights the importance of a co-designed Community Engagement Plan to ensure the diverse experiences and perspectives of all people with disability, including Autistic people continue to help shape the ADS and all policies and programs that impact them.
For further information and to view all of Amaze’s recommendations to strengthen the ADS, and community inclusion, our submission is available here.
Amaze made a submission to the Australian Governments review of Australia’s Disability Strategy (ADS).
Our submission highlighted the importance of ensuring the ADS complements the National Autism Strategy, currently under development, and meets the needs of all Autistic people. It also highlighted the importance of a co-designed Community Engagement Plan to ensure the diverse experiences and perspectives of all people with disability, including Autistic people continue to help shape the ADS and all policies and programs that impact them.
For further information and to view all of Amaze’s recommendations to strengthen the ADS, and community inclusion, our submission is available here.
In January 2025, the Australian Government has recently launched an update of Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021 – 2031. The update includes:
The update is supported by Factsheets and other accessible resources, including in Easy Read. These resources and a summary of the update can be accessed via the ADS Hub.
Amaze made a submission to the Australian Government’s consultation on draft lists of NDIS Supports.
In our submission we highlighted our deep concern that the prescriptive lists of NDIS Supports fail to provide the flexibility needed to ensure participants can access the individualised and cost-effective supports they may need to achieve their goals. We also reiterated our concerns about the government’s lack of meaningful consultation to ensure these reforms meet the needs of all stakeholders, including Autistic people and their families and carers.
We recommended that guiding principles for NDIS Supports be included in NDIS legislation. If, despite pleas from people with disability and from across the disability sector, NDIS Supports lists are to be adopted, we recommended that the government amend the draft lists to:
We also recommended that the government undertake further consultation on the draft lists that is accessible and ensures all people with disability can help shape this significant area of NDIS reform.
Amaze submission to consultation on draft lists of NDIS Supports
The finalised NDIS Support Lists rapidly came into effect on 3 October 2024. Participants must now only use their NDIS funds for items listed as NDIS Supports. The lists comprise of:
More information about the Lists, and Easy read versions of the Lists are available here.
The Replacement supports list refers to cost effective mainstream supports that are not NDIS supports, but that may be applied for as alternative supports to those already approved in a participant’s plan. Replacement supports can include smart watches, tablets, smart phones and apps for accessibility/communication purposes. More information about how to apply for a replacement support is available here.
These lists are transitional lists only, longer term lists or rules about what the NDIS can and cannot fund are still to be developed. When these lists or rules are being developed, there will be further opportunity to comment and provide feedback to government.
In the meantime, Amaze will continue to monitor our community’s experiences with the transitional NDIS Support Lists and feedback key concerns to the Australian Government and/or NDIA.
Amaze made a submission to the Statutory Review of the Online Safety Act.
Our submission highlighted the vulnerability of some Autistic people online and encouraged consideration of how the Act could be amended to better protect and support our community.
Our submission provided evidence that Autistic people may be more likely to engage in problematic internet and game use, and be more vulnerable to harm online, than non-Autistic people. It encouraged the Inquiry to consider how the Act could better protect and support Autistic people, including by requiring targeted information resources, driving research and ensuring complaint mechanisms are clear, accessible and transparent. It also recommended further engagement with Autistic people to better understand their needs for support and protection online, their information resource needs and the accessibility of complaints mechanisms.
Amaze submission to Online Safety Act review, June 2024
In February 2025, the review released its Final Report. In its report, the review panel recognised that people with disability are among the groups of people at greatest risk of online harms and that more needs to be done to prevent these harms and make the online world safe for everyone. It also recognised that a stronger approach to internal governance and transparency must include a mechanism for ensuring the perspectives of groups who are disproportionately impacted by online harms (including disability groups) are heard and can inform decision making.
Amaze has since met with the e-Safety Commissioner’s office about the importance of a mechanism for ensuring that people with disability, including Autistic people, can inform the e-Safety Commissioner’s work and decision making. We look forward to engaging further with the e-Safety Commissioner’s office on this important step and will continue to provide insights into the experiences of Autistic people online, and how our community may be better protected and supported.
Amaze has been a passionate advocate for a National Autism Strategy for many years. We have supported the Australian Autism Alliance and Australian Government by providing advice, research and data to support the Strategy’s development. We have also connected the Strategy’s developers to a diversity of Autistic voices and perspectives, helping to ensure Autistic people were at the centre of its development.
As part of our advocacy work, we made submissions to the Draft National Autism Strategy Consultation (May 2024) and the National Autism Strategy Discussion Paper: What we have heard: moving towards development of a National Autism Strategy (October 2023).
Our submissions highlighted that to drive sustained, meaningful, and measurable change for Autistic people across Australia the Strategy must:
Amaze submission to National Autism Strategy Consultation – October 2023
Amaze submission to Draft National Autism Strategy – 31 May 2024.
In January 2025, the Australian Government released its first National Autism Strategy 2025 – 2031 (NAS) and associated First Action Plan 2025-2026.
The Strategy provides a framework for improving outcomes for all Autistic people in the years ahead. It is led by a vision, goal and guiding principles to improve the quality of life of all Autistic people and create a safe and inclusive society where Autistic people are supported and empowered to thrive.
The Strategy contains 22 commitments across four key areas for change.
The First Action Plan is supported by $42.3 million in funding and includes some immediate actions to reduce stigma, change attitudes around Autism and improve: social connections; neurodiversity-affirming and inclusive services and supports; safety and welfare; employment and education outcomes; and access to quality diagnosis. The National Roadmap to Improve the Health and Mental Health of Autistic People (2025 – 2035) addresses the forth outcome area, health and mental health.
For more information, and to access the Strategy and First Action Plan (including in easy read), please visit the Australian Government Department of Social Services’ Strategy web page.
We have also created a summary of the Strategy and provided answers to frequently asked questions here.
We will continue to advocate for:
Amaze made a submission to the Australian Government’s consultation to inform its response to the Disability Royal Commission’s Final Report.
Our submission applauded the Disability Royal Commission for its dedicated and exemplary work and highlighted our support for each of its unanimously agreed recommendations. We also acknowledged the contribution and bravery of all people with disability who shared their stories and ideas with the Commission.
We asked that the Australian Government:
In July 2024, the Australian government released its response to the Disability Royal Commission’s Final Report and recommendations.
We welcomed the initial commitments contained in its response, which are aimed at addressing the mistreatment of people with disability and advancing social and economic inclusion. These include commitments to review the Disability Discrimination Act, establish a new individual disability advocacy program, and work towards reducing and eliminating harmful restrictive practices.
However, together with many across the disability sector, we were disappointed that only 13 of the Disability Royal Commission’s 222 recommendations were accepted in full. The majority of the Commission’s recommendations were accepted ‘in principle’ only or marked for further consideration.
Together with the disability sector, we will continue to advocate to the Commonwealth, State, and Territory governments to work together to:
We are also committed to ensuring that an ‘autism lens’ is applied to all reforms and that the contributions of Autistic people, their families, and carers continue to inform the reform process.
More information about the Australian Government’s response to the Commission’s recommendations is available here.
Amaze made a submission to Jobs and Skills Australia’s consultation to inform its 2024-25 Work Plan development. The workplan is aimed at guiding Australia’s response to current, emerging and future workforce, skills and training needs.
Our submission encouraged Jobs and Skills Australia to focus part of its 2024 – 25 Work Plan on:
Amaze submission to Jobs and Skills Australia work plan consultation January 2024
The Jobs and Skills Australia 2024-25 Work Plan was published in November 2024.
The Work Plan includes a focus on fostering inclusive employment by removing barriers to participation, including for people with disability. It commits to undertaking scoping work on future cohort studies on the participation of Australians with disability in the workforce, focusing on improving data adequacy, currency and usage.
More information about the Work Plan is available here.
Amaze made a submission to the Australian Department of Social Services’ option paper for establishing a Disability Employment Centre of Excellence.
Our submission supported the establishment of a Centre that:
In June 2024, the Australian Government announced that it would establish a Disability Employment Centre of Excellence. The centre was re-named The Centre for Inclusive Employment and commenced in March 2025. The Centre is being delivered by Swinburne University of Technology and a consortium of representatives from peak disability and capacity building organisations, including Inclusion Australia.
The Centre will provide best-practice, evidence-based information for employment service providers assisting job seekers with disability. It will provide resources, tools and training for providers and collect, translate and share information related to disability employment.
An online hub will be established by September 2025.
More information about the Centre is available here.
Amaze made a submission to the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into Victoria’s state education system. The inquiry was led by the Legislative Council’s Legal and Social Affairs Committee.
Our submission focussed on actions needed to improve the experiences and outcomes of Autistic students in Victoria. We recommended:
Amaze submission to Victorian inquiry into State education – October 2023
On 15 October 2024, the Committee tabled its Final Report.
Of particular relevance to Autistic students, the Inquiry recommended that the Department of Education work with advocacy groups to devise an outcomes framework for the Disability Inclusion program, develop a policy on how Augmentative and Alternative Communication should be delivered in schools, and review resources and professional development to ensure exclusionary practices are phased out.
The inquiry also made a number of recommendations to address the use of restrictive practices, address student disengagement and improve learning outcomes, targeted supports, teacher recruitment and retention, student wellbeing and funding models.
We will continue to advocate for autism inclusion across Victorian schools and better outcomes for Autistic students, including that the Victorian Government adopt and swiftly implement all unanimous recommendations from the Disability Royal Commission, and the Senate inquiry into school refusal (directed at states and territories).
More information about the Inquiry can be accessed here.
Amaze made a submission to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly’s Education and Health Standing Committee inquiry Inquiry into support for Autistic children and young people in schools.
The submission provided the inquiry with data and evidence on the experiences and outcomes of Autistic students. It also provided an overview of, and early learnings from Victoria’s Disability Inclusion reforms and Autism Education Strategy to help guide WA’s reforms. Early learnings shared with the inquiry included the need to:
Amaze submission to WA inquiry into autism in schools July 2023
In March 2024, the committee released its Final Report. It found that WA schools are failing to consistently meet the needs of Autistic students and that reform is needed to promote inclusion, meet individual student needs, build teacher capabilities, improve funding models, ensure evidence informed supports are provided to Autistic students and better support student transitions.
To drive these reforms, the committee recommended the development of a cross-sector WA neurodiversity education strategy, led and co-designed by autistic and neurodiverse people. It recommended that the strategy be funded, contain measurable performance indicators and include a commitment to further research into evidence-based practices to support autistic students at school. It also made a number of recommendations to improve teacher and leadership training and professional learning, periodically assess the inclusivity of schools, embed flexible learning options, reform assessment and funding models, and improve data collection.
While not education specific, the Inquiry recommended the development of a whole-of-government neurodiversity strategy, led and co-designed by Autistic and neurodiverse people, that focuses on improving life outcomes for Autistic and neurodiverse Western Australians. It also recommended an epidemiological study into the prevalence of autism or autism likelihood in young children in Western Australia.
The Inquiry’s Final Report is available here.
Amaze made a submission to the Australian Government Department of Education’s review of the impact of Covid-19 on school students with disability.
Our submission highlighted the key impacts of Covid-19 on Autistic studenteati. It also encouraged the government to learn from the well-known negative impacts of remote learning on many Autistic students and their families, as well as the positive impacts experienced by some students and their families. In the case of, and to prepare for any future public health emergencies, it encouraged the government to:
Amaze submission to review on impact on Covid-19 on school students with disability
In October 2024, the Australian Government released the review’s Final Report.
It recognised that while student experiences varied, students with disability generally experienced additional challenges to learning during and following Covid-19 lockdowns. It highlighted the higher challenges faced by Autistic students transitioning back to the classroom after lockdowns, and the associated increase in School Can’t.
The review emphasised the importance of students with disability being identified as a priority cohort for response planning in future emergency responses and made the following key findings:
The review’s Final Report is available here.
Amaze will continue to advocate for students with disability, including Autistic students, to be identified as a priority cohort in emergency response planning. We will also continue to advocate to the Australian and state/territory governments for full implementation of Senate Education and Employment Reference’s Committee’s recommendations to address School Can’t, outlined in its Final Report of its Inquiry into the National Trend of School Refusal and related matters.
More information about the Senate Inquiry into the National Trend of School Refusal is available here.