Response to the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS
Right of Reply to the ANPA Submission
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the submission provided by the Australian Neurodivergent Parents Association (ANPA). Autism Awareness Australia (AAA) appreciates the Committee’s commitment to procedural fairness. Several statements in ANPA’s submission are factually incorrect or unsupported. AAA sets out the relevant clarifications below.
Early intervention, ABA, and conflict-of-interest allegations
ANPA’s submission asserts that AAA “will likely be significant beneficiaries of proposed block- funded early intervention programs” under Thriving Kids and therefore has a financial interest in moving children and psychosocial participants off the NDIS. This is incorrect. AAA does not provide any early intervention services, does not receive government block funding, and holds no financial position or commercial interest in any early intervention model. AAA derives no revenue from therapeutic or intervention programs of any kind.
The submission further suggests that AAA’s Chief Executive Officer, Ms Nicole Rogerson, has avoided acknowledging her past association with ABA. This is inaccurate. Ms Rogerson has been open about her family’s experience for many years, including through two national ABC ‘Australian Story’ programs in 2008 and 2014. These personal disclosures do not represent AAA policy, and AAA does not promote ABA as a preferred intervention.
Her history in establishing and leading the Lizard Children’s Centre from 2002 until its sale in 2014 has long been part of the public record. She has had no ownership interest, governance role or financial involvement in any ABA provider since the sale of the business in 2014. ANPA’s submission cites 2019 as the relevant date, which is incorrect. This error materially misstates the timeline and creates a misleading impression of ongoing involvement in ABA services.
Ms Rogerson was not a founder of ABA in Australia. ABA-based programs pre-dated her involvement, and the field was established through a range of providers, clinicians, and academic institutions.
The suggestion that AAA or Ms Rogerson implicitly or explicitly promotes ABA for personal or organisational gain is also unfounded. AAA does not promote commercial ABA providers, and there is no evidence that AAA has ever advocated for any ABA organisation. AAA occasionally works with clinical or academic experts whose fields of practice may include behavioural approaches, consistent with broad sector engagement across multiple disciplines.
Annual Report No. 1 of the 48th Parliament
Submission 23 : Response from Autism Awareness Australia a
A AA’s public resources and programs present a diverse range of evidence-informed early intervention approaches. We do not advocate for limiting parental choice or privileging one intervention model over another. A AA’s primary website, along with our Autism: What Next? platform, provides one of Australia’s most comprehensive sets of resources for autistic individuals, parents and carers. Both platforms include extensive information on a wide range of early intervention options, reflecting contemporary research and the varied support needs of families.
A AA’s approach to policy and representative role
e AAA has worked in the autism sector for 18 years and is one of Australia’s most widely accessed autism organisations. We engage with tens of thousands of families each year through programs, events, campaigns and digital platforms. Our board and staff include parents of autistic children across the spectrum. While AAA is not constituted as a Disabled People’s Organisation, lived experience is central to our work, and AAA is regularly invited to participate in Commonwealth and State advisory processes because of its longevity, sector expertise and broad engagement with families.
A AA is a registered Australian not-for-profit organisation founded in 2007. It is governed by a Board, operates independently of government and providers, and receives no commercial or financial benefit from clinical, therapeutic, or early intervention services.
A AA does not hold itself out as a Disabled People’s Representative Organisation, nor has it ever sought such classification.
A AA applies both clinical and rights-based frameworks appropriately. Screening, diagnostic assessment and developmental monitoring rely on medical frameworks; inclusion, participation and accessibility require a social model approach. A AA had no involvement in the Government’s decision to move NDIS responsibility to the Health portfolio.
Terminology and “profound autism”
e A AA did not drive or promote the adoption of the term
Annual Report No.1 of the 48th Parliament
Submission 23 : Response from Autism Awareness Australia a
The Institutional influence and policy framing
A AA rejects the assertion that it exerts disproportionate influence or seeks to re-medicalise disability policy. Our public submissions and commentary focus on equitable access, informed choice, evidence-based practice, family support and service quality. Governments consult widely across DPOs, families, clinicians, researchers and peak bodies. There is no basis to suggest that A AA’s engagement is inconsistent with Article 4(3) of the UNCRPD.
A AA engages with government when invited, contributing to public submissions and participating in consultations in the same manner as many disability organisations. A AA has no privileged or disproportionate access. A AA supports the meaningful involvement of autistic people in policy development and regularly partners with autistic advocates, professionals and families across its programs. AAA is not a service provider, does not receive NDIS revenue, and has no financial stake in shifts in early intervention policy.
Publication considerations
A AA notes that ANPA have a record of circulating false and defamatory allegations through online communication channels, and there is a foreseeable risk that any committee document may be selectively quoted or misrepresented in bad faith if released.
Notwithstanding this risk, AAA is fully confident in the accuracy and integrity of the information provided in this response. AAA therefore does not object to publication in full, should the Committee consider that appropriate. We believe full publication is preferable to the possibility of selective or informal release.
Thank you for the opportunity to clarify the factual record. A AA remains committed to constructive engagement with the Committee and to supporting a high-quality, rights-focused NDIS for autistic Australians and their families.
Yours sincerely
Autism Awareness Australia By: Nicole Rogerson, Chief Executive Officer
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