Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

The trainees and their families—their mothers, fathers and siblings who were there last week—had incredibly positive initial feedback. One small business owner and his wife reported that their son, who had gone to work in the Department of Human Services, was now not in the truck with the father, which was fantastic for the son. He was able to come home and talk about the socialising that he had done at work and talk about going to work on the train with his colleagues. Of course, it meant that his mother was back in the truck now, so she was not necessarily thrilled by that arrangement, but in family terms it was overwhelmingly positive. To see the trainees talk amongst themselves, to see them engage in this discussion and to see the enormous potential that this has for other young Australians with autism spectrum disorder—no matter where they are on the spectrum, in very many cases—to work in this environment that supports and understands them is an incredibly important step. I am very proud that the Department of Human Services has been able to play a role in this.