Phillip Thompson (Herbert, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is a fantastic organisation in Townsville called AEIOU. They provide support for young families and children who have autism. I've met with this organisation since I've been elected to this place and I've met with families that attend AEIOU. One mother told me that their son had never looked at their father and said, 'Dad' or 'I love you,' and would ignore him when he walked past. It was just heartbreaking. After attending AEIOU and getting the specialised support for this young person, he now looks at his dad and says, 'Dad, I love you.'

As a father I couldn't be more proud than to support this fantastic organisation. In the last budget we also secured $2 million for a new location for AEIOU. This is to expand their service, to ensure that they can continue to do their job well and support more families and children in Townsville. We know that our young people are our future, and if they need a little bit of extra support we should wrap it around them.

I'm thankful to the government for working with me in securing this funding and, on behalf of Townsville and the families of Townsville, we say thank you. And we say thank you to the people who work at AEIOU: you do a fantastic job.