Our State - South Australia

On Wednesday 19 June 2024, the Government of South Australia officially launched the first ever Autism Strategy –a five-year roadmap for South Australia to address the barriers faced by Autistic people across all life areas and support them to achieve their goals and aspirations. The launch of the Strategy marks a significant milestone in South Australia’s journey to being the nation’s leading autism inclusive state, and to build knowledge, understanding and sense of belonging for South Australia’s Autistic and autism communities.Meaningful cultural change and greater inclusion in our community can only come about by consulting, listening, and creating open dialogue with the autistic and autism communities. The voices of South Australia’s Autistic and autism communities have been the driving force behind the development of this Strategy. Over 1,300 submissions were received during the first and second public consultation processes conducted by the Department of Human Services.This process makes it one of the largest public consultation processes conducted on disability-related matters in South Australia and one of the most significant co-designed strategies to date.The release of the SA Autism Strategy 2025-2029 will be followed by the development of 7 Action Plans to drive initiatives and improvements across each of the Strategy’s commitments.The SA Autism Strategy 2024-2029 is now available to view online at the website autismstrategy.sa.gov.auIn this segment, we hear from Reece Turtur, Manager Strategy within the Department of Human Services’ Strategic Policy and Reform unit. Dasha Kolesik, Member of the State Autism Strategy Advisory Committee

The 2023 Outbound Knowledge Exchange bursary program gave 9 wine industry professionals the opportunity to travel to one or more Great Wine Capitals of the World to build their knowledge and skills.Through the Department of Primary Industries and Regions, each recipient received a bursary of $6,000 for travel between September 2023 and February 2024.During their travels, bursary recipients met with key industry, regional and education stakeholders to share their experience, expertise, and energy as well as learn about practices and operations in their chosen field.Participants shared their experience and learnings at regional and industry events, helping to build capability within their area of interest and maximising the benefit to SA’s wine industry.Interested wine professionals are invited to apply for the next round of bursaries when they open on 1 July.In this segment, we hear from Charles Matheson, Grower Engagement Officer for Riverland Wine. For his bursary, Charles travelled to Cape Town/Cape Winelands, South Africa, and San Francisco/Napa Valley, USA, to study sustainability in viticulture and the impact on market access. Yanina Giordano, a PHD candidate at the University of Adelaide and is undertaking research to develop innovative solutions for controlling Brettanomyces (“brett”) spoilage in wine, which has the potential to have a significant commercial impact on wine production. 

As has happened in the past, we are currently seeing another increase in COVID-19 cases in South Australia. In addition, we are beginning to see an expected increase in flu cases which is what we usually see in the cooler months.These rising cases in the community, will likely result in an increase in presentations to our hospitals of people with respiratory illnesses in the coming weeks.In this segment, we hear from Professor Nicola Spurrier, the Chief Public Health Officer for SA Health and has accountability for public health and communicable disease issues. Noel Lally, who is is the Acting Executive Director, Communicable Disease Control Branch and has been working in SA Health since 2009. His focus has largely been on immunisation, working across government, non-government and tertiary education sectors to coordinate and lead state-wide delivery of the Jurisdictional and National Immunisation Programs.

Palliative care is a holistic approach to supporting individuals with life-limiting illnesses – meaning an illness that’s active, progressive, or advanced, with little or no prospect of cure.With the support of healthcare professionals – including doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals, palliative care aims to alleviate symptoms, enhance quality of life, and provide emotional, social, and spiritual support to both patients and their families. Palliative care can begin at diagnosis, offering support throughout the illness journey, and can even potentially prolong life.Palliative care is about empowering people to live their lives as fully and comfortably as possible, even in the face of terminal illness.For help with navigating palliative care and bereavement support in South Australia, Palliative Care Connect provides information and links for people with life-limiting illnesses and their family, friends, and carers, as well as health and aged care professionals. Palliative Care Navigators and Bereavement Navigators are available by phone to support South Australians with life-limiting illnesses and their family members, friends, and carers, as well as healthcare professionals.To learn more, visit Palliative Care Connect or call the dedicated Palliative Care Connect Statewide Navigation Service on 1800 725 548 (PALLI8), available Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 4pm.In this segment, we hear from Dr. Peter Allcroft, a Senior Staff Specialist at Southern Adelaide Palliative Services and is a highly respected physician who has dedicated his career to improving the lives of patients with life-limiting illnesses. Kate Swetenham, who is the Director of Nursing at the Department of Health’s End of Life Care Team, provides clinical support to programs of work in Advance Care Planning, Palliative Care, Voluntary Assisted Dying and Grief and Bereavement.