A quality education is essential to ensuring young people have the best start in life. It is just as important to make sure no young person is left behind.

That is why, over our four years in government, we have led the nation in planning for autistic people and the autism community. We have appointed the nation’s first Minister for Autism, funded an Autism Inclusion Teacher in every public primary school, delivered the first Autism Strategy, developed programs to highlight employment opportunities for autistic people, and trained more than 6,000 employees to build knowledge and capability.

School environments play a critical role in the engagement and wellbeing of autistic learners. Too often, it is the environment itself that creates barriers to learning. That is why a re-elected Malinauskas Labor Government will invest $10 million in new and upgraded inclusive education facilities, including improvements to learning and sensory spaces in schools across the state. This investment forms part of our commitment to $210 million in new funding within our $500 million school infrastructure investment program.

This funding will support inclusive classroom spaces, regulation and sensory areas, and inclusive playgrounds in public schools across South Australia. These improvements will create safer, calmer and more supportive environments where all students can learn and thrive.

Alongside these upgrades, we will continue to strengthen the expertise of Autism Inclusion Teachers, with a clear focus on adapting environments so students can concentrate on learning. This builds on our nation-leading work with universities and TAFE to embed autism education into teaching and early childhood education qualifications, ensuring educators have the right knowledge before they step into the classroom.