Portfolio — 24 June 2026

Minister McAllister announced a grant of more than $900,000 to the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network of Australia and New Zealand, the most substantial autism-employment measure released under the National Autism Strategy's First Action Plan 2025–26 to date [TA-260623-ndis-1a46568a658b]. The grant funds training and resources on two tracks simultaneously: equipping autistic job seekers to navigate employment pathways, start businesses, and sustain work, while building employer capacity through guidance on reasonable adjustments, recruitment best practice, and psychological safety [TA-260623-ndis-1a46568a658b].

Resources are organised around three operational areas — rights literacy (discrimination and privacy law), best-practice HR processes across the employment lifecycle, and reduction of bullying and unsafe disclosure — delivered nationally and primarily online to reach regional and remote communities as well as metropolitan centres.

The announcement sits within a named grant opportunity — the Employment Training and Resources for the Autistic Community and Employers opportunity — signalling this is a structured procurement instrument rather than a discretionary allocation [TA-260623-ndis-1a46568a658b]. The online delivery model is consistent with a portfolio approach that prioritises scalable, practitioner-focused tools to embed disability inclusion across the broader labour market, rather than system-specific or institution-specific interventions.

This grant marks a deliberate broadening of the strategy's employment focus. An earlier $643,853 grant targeted autism support within the youth-justice system specifically; today's funding extends the same strategic framework to general workforce participation [TA-260623-ndis-1a46568a658b]. Taken together, the two grants reflect an iterative expansion of National Autism Strategy action — moving from justice-system settings toward economy-wide employment inclusion as the First Action Plan progresses through 2025–26.