All public high schools will benefit from a high school autism program under a re-elected Malinauskas Labor Government. 

The transition to secondary school can present additional barriers for autistic students as they navigate changes in the school environment, including new teachers and peers, movement between classrooms, and greater levels of independence.

Under a re-elected Malinauskas Labor Government, this training will be offered to all public high schools, with schools able to have access to evidence-informed autism inclusion training, contextualised support, and centralised advisory expertise.

Alongside this, a team of six Inclusive Teaching and Learning practitioners will be based in the Department for Education, partnering with schools to help them improve their support for autistic students. 

A re-elected Malinauskas Labor Government will invest $2.5 million over two years to roll out this program, taking our total investment in autism school supports to more than $30 million. 

It is estimated that more than 2, 000 autistic students will transition from public primary schools to public secondary schools over the next three years.

Labor's commitment will help embed autism inclusion priorities into school learning plans and provide access to Autism CRC’s InclusionED platform and project webinars. This will help schools introduce more predictable classroom routines, strengthen collaboration across Year 7 teams, increase staff awareness of autistic students’ needs, and support students with more complex needs and their families.