MEMBER for Mildura Ali Cupper is encouraging families in the Mildura electorate to come forward and share their experiences of living with or caring for someone with autism in the Mallee.
“There is an overwhelming need for better autism services in the North West, it’s tough enough in Mildura, but the further out you get the tougher it is,” she said.
“I’m meeting with autism families, early intervention professionals, support services and schools to identify the gaps and establish the goals for autism support in the Mallee.”
Ms Cupper has shared her family’s experience with autism to start the conversation and is inviting autism families to share their stories to inform her advocacy.
“For many families autism is a gift and a superpower, and they don’t necessarily need to rely on services during their everyday lives: I’m happy for those people and their families,” she said.
“For others, the autism experience is more complicated.
“We’ve got families leaving this region permanently because the services they need aren’t here, and that’s unacceptable.
“Providing current and compelling examples of the challenges that autism families face is the first step towards pushing the government for better services and support.
“I’ll be using the information I gather from these consultations to lobby the government for meaningful change.”
If you are a person with autism or a member of an autism family and you would like to share your experiences, please contact Ali’s office on 5021 2828 or ali.cupper@parliament.vic.gov.au.

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