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Argument, Think Autism Melbourne 2026
Services do not change systems, Sharon Zivkovic told Think Autism Melbourne
In short
At Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, Dr Sharon Zivkovic argued that organisations chasing government contracts cannot deliver systems change, and that autistic people would have to build it as disruptors and innovators.
Read it instead, 4 minutesThe transcript
The story
Autistic people had become a national talking point, and in a question at the opening fireside chat of Think Autism Melbourne on 30 May 2026 Kyriakos Gold, who hosted the chat, compared the moment to earlier movements. When women’s liberation began, people talked about what happens to the 52 per cent of society that is suppressed, and nothing happened. Gay pride had the same long stretch of talk before anything moved. Gold asked whether autistic people were in that stretch now, and said that “autistic people have to build the systems. No one else is building, they’re just talking.”
Dr Sharon Zivkovic, of Community Capacity Builders, described herself as a complexity scientist trying to keep things simple. Many organisations, she said, survive by chasing government dollars and going after government contracts, and government funds services. “Services don’t change systems. Services keep systems the way they currently are.” A service might improve a system slightly, she said, but if everyone is focused on delivering services, nothing changes, because government has set the game plan and is contracting people to implement it.
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Sources the story draws on
- Release of the National Autism Strategy 2025-31 (opens in a new tab), Department of Social Services
- Our Final Report: A guide for people with disability and their families 2023 (opens in a new tab), Independent Review of the NDIS (NDIS Review)
- Thriving Kids (opens in a new tab), National Disability Insurance Agency
More from Think Autism Melbourne 2026
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