St Teresa of Kolkata Building
115 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy
Australian Catholic University

Autism is trending. We are doing something about it.

The Think Autism (Autistic Pride Day) – Melbourne Conference is a one-day, in-person event created by and for Autistic people.

This is not a conference about autism. It is a conference run by Autistic leaders, practitioners, researchers, creators and advocates who are done waiting for systems to catch up.

On 30 May 2026, we are in Melbourne. On 18 June 2026, Autistic Pride Day, everything filmed goes live to the world.

The day covers the ground that matters: burnout as a policy failure, what late diagnosis actually costs, building businesses on Autistic terms, what neuroaffirming practice looks like in reality, workplace rights, LGBTQIA+ and Autistic identity, and what needs to change in education.

Keynotes. Fireside Chats. Panels. Workshops. Open Dialogue. One room that was built for us.

FOR NDIS TICKETS, EMAIL US: hello@autisticprideday.org

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE VISUAL STORY FOR THE DAY

Conference Program

Time	Format	Session	MC / Facilitator	Panelists / Speaker
9:00 AM	Arrival	Registration and Arrival	—	—
9:45 AM	Opening	Acknowledgement of Country + Conference Opening	Kyriakos Gold	—
09:55 AM	Video	Opening Address	—	Dr Judy Tang OAM Victorian Multicultural Commissioner
10:00 AM	Keynote	Keynote: A series of Missed Cues	—	Kyriakos Gold
10:15 AM	Preview	Agenda Setting: The Day in Five Points. Five speakers. Five positions. No questions. The fireside chat takes it from here.	—	Wellbeing: Rebecca McCash Identity: Naz Jacobs Education: Dr Siobhan Lamb Entrepreneurship: Will Rosewarne Neuroaffirming Practice: Dr Naomi Malone
10:30 AM	Fireside	Autism Went Mainstream. The Systems Did Not.	Dr Naomi Malone Presented by SydWest	Dr Sharon Zivkovic Kyriakos Gold
11:00 AM	Break	10 minutes
11:10 AM	Panel	Part 1 - Autistic Burnout as a Policy Failure: Education, Work and Life. Part 2 -Education: From Policy to Practice	Anita Aherne Kyriakos Gold	Kathleen McCarthy Shamus Hart Hannah Badenhop Prof John Munro Dr Siobhan Lamb Cat Snedden
12:15 PM	Lunch	45 minutes
1:00 PM	Panel	Identity and Intersectionality: Who Gets to Be Autistic	Georgie Prattis Presented by SSI	Nicole Smith Naz Jacobs Klo Davies Kelly Treloar Dr Kim Gordon
1:50 PM	Break	10 minutes
2:00 PM	Panel	Autistic Entrepreneurs and the Economy: Access, Capital and Self-Determination	Kyriakos Gold	Roo Harris Will Rosewarne Dr Sharon Zivkovic
2:30 PM	Showcase	Autistic Entrepreneurs in Focus	Presented by Focus Bear productivity app	Jeremy Nagel — Focus Bear Rebecca McCash — FutureTech Australia Zoe Atterbury — Bloom Cycle Michelle Ridsdale Kaboose Chelle Norris — Found Power Paul Micallef Autism From The Inside
3:00 PM	Break	10 minutes
3:10 PM	Panel	Neuroaffirming Practice: What It Actually Looks Like	Dr Naomi Malone	Dani Bultitude Shristi Chand Ben Simmons
4:00 PM	Break	15 minutes
4:15 PM	Open Dialogue	Autism is Trending. We Are Doing Something About It.	Kyriakos Gold	The full room in conversation - all speakers and audience. No agenda. No filter.

5:30 PM

Close

Conference close

6:30

Networking dinner & drinks

Location TBA

Workshops — Breakout Rooms

Running concurrently with main program. Attendees may move between sessions throughout the day.

Time	Format	Session	Presenter	Concurrent Panel
11:10 AM	Workshop	From Diagnosis to Success: Lived Experience, Sensory Reality and the Path Forward	Daniel Giles OAM and Daryl Giles Presented by Speaking Insights	Autistic Burnout as a Policy Failure
12:30 PM	Workshop	Education: Home, School and the System in Between	Dr Siobhan Lamb Presented by Embrace Difference	Identity and Intersectionality
1:30 PM	Workshop	The Full Picture: Understanding Autism Across Gender, Sexuality and Neurodivergence	Dani Bultitude & Emma Read Presented by The Divergent Edge	Identity and Intersectionality & Autistic Entrepreneurs and the Economy
2:30 PM	Workshop	Work That Works: Rethinking Adjustments as Performance Enhancers	Jacob Alan Kness & Leslie Clements Presented by Autism Valued	Autistic Entrepreneurship Showcase

3:30 PM

Workshop

Designing Your Own Operating System: From Burnout to What Works

Rebecca McCash

Presented by FutureTech Australia

Neuroaffirming Practice

Access and Inclusion

This conference was designed with Autistic participants at the centre.

Quiet rooms and sensory maps are available throughout the venue. Camera-optional seating is available in all sessions. A low-scent policy applies across the event. The venue is fully physically accessible. All facilitators work to a neuroaffirming brief.

Presented by

Just Gold and Aurum Foundation

Supported by

Australian Catholic University

In collaboration with

Digital Release

All panel sessions and plenary discussions will be filmed and professionally photographed. Edited recordings will be released on Autistic Pride Day, 18 June 2026, extending the reach of the conference nationally and globally.

Workshops held in breakout rooms will not be filmed.

Photography will take place throughout the day across all areas of the event.

Catering

Catering is not provided. Anyone who has ever tried to feed a room full of Autistic people will understand why.

Bring water and anything else you need to get through the day.

Fitzroy has excellent options within walking distance for everything else.

Attending via NDIS

You may be able to use your NDIS funding to attend. Relevant support categories include Capacity Building, Increased Social and Community Participation, Improved Relationships, and Finding and Keeping a Job.

We do not confirm NDIS eligibility. Speak with your Support Coordinator, Plan Manager or LAC before booking.

Need a support letter or an invoice? Contact us and we will send you one.

Contact the host of Think Autism Conference & Community Workshops (Melbourne)

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