National Roadmap to improve health and mental health released

Autism CRC welcomes the release of the National Roadmap to Improve the Health and Mental Health of Autistic People (the Roadmap), developed through the Australian Government Department for Health and Aged Care, and released on 25 February.

The Roadmap aims to address the breadth of issues faced by Autistic people in the Australian healthcare system. It outlines the path to improve the physical and mental health of Australia’s growing Autistic population. It also forms the fourth pillar of the recently launched National Autism Strategy.

“The Roadmap describes a number of focus areas and associated actions to build capacity and improve access to health services to better support the needs of autistic Australians, their families and carers. We look forward to working with the Government and the sector to support the implementation of the Roadmap”, said Autism CRC CEO, Andrew Davis. 

Autism CRC conducted a process of co-design, research, and community engagement with its national partner network from November 2023 to February 2024 to support the Government’s development of the Roadmap. 

Many individuals contributed to the development of the Roadmap and should be acknowledged for their time and effort. Autism CRC thanks the Australian Government, the members of the Roadmap Working Group, and the hundreds of thousands of individuals and organisations who have contributed to the Roadmap.

"We've been pleased to participate in that process and look forward to continuing to support the community and Government in delivery of the Roadmap’s vision, goals and commitments over the coming years", said Mr Davis.

The Roadmap will be delivered over 10 years from 2025 to 2035. All documents are available from the department website.