Well Said!

By Helen Said, Autistic advocate, Melbourne Australia   Autistics and our allies have a powerful voice and this is the time to use it. For Autism rights, let’s keep Peter Dutton’s conservative, anti-diversity hire, pro-nuclear Liberal Party out of government.  It’s vitally important that Australia does not go down the path of the United States at our upcoming federal election in May.   We need a government committed to equity, the environment and reducing the cost of living. We, the 99% who are not billionaires, can get that government by either   a)        following the Australian Labor Party how to vote card on both ballot papers - the easiest way to vote - or   b)       Voting 1 for a progressive small party / independent (eg Greens, Socialists, Teals) and Voting 2 for Labor, numbering every square on the green ballot paper.   If you choose your own voting order on the green ballot pap...

  Elon Musk is not an Autistic role model By Helen Said, Autistic advocate, Melbourne Australia I was initially excited when I heard that Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, had an Aspergers diagnosis. I thought that, by adding his name to the growing list of celebrities and innovators on the Autism Spectrum, we would all be a step closer to gaining Autism acceptance. Of course, I had misgivings about billionaires hogging the world’s wealth in the face of growing poverty, and I didn’t approve of huge resources being poured into Mars missions, but it occurred to me that, if there had to be a billionaire class, they might as well be diverse, with an Autistic amongst them. Since the 2024 US election campaign, my admiration for Musk has plummeted faster than Space X Starship hurtled into the Indian Ocean. Elon Musk has shown an absolute contempt for the poor and disadvantaged, both in the United States and abroad. This includes Musk’s attempts to shut down USaid (United States Agency...