Become part of the Australasian Autism Research Council in 2024

Read a plain language version of this information

Expressions of Interest for new members for the 2024 term of the Australian Autism Research council closed on 22 October 2023.

The AARC was established to review and define national priorities for autism research and identify areas of research needed for the autistic and autism communities. The AARC operates under the auspice of Autism CRC.

The AARC includes autistic people, families and carers, service providers, health and education professionals, government, and researchers. AARC members must be adults and live in Australia or New Zealand.

The AARC’s major output is a report or update in November each year on autism research priorities relevant to the Australian and New Zealand context.

Who is part of the AARC and what does the role involve?

The AARC is composed of no less than 8 and no more than 15 members. Membership terms last 2 years, but members can renominate once their term is up.

There are 3 to 5 meetings each year which take place online (via email, online forums, and/or virtual meetings). Participation is flexible, and there won’t be any face-to-face meetings, so no travel is required. Membership of the AARC is on a voluntary basis.

Council discussions and documents are considered confidential in nature. This means that they cannot be shared or discussed with others within a council member’s organisation or networks. Council meetings are primarily focused on examining autism research priorities (including through community consultation) and developing the Council’s report which is shared and promoted publicly once completed.

More detail about what the role involves can be found in our Terms of Reference.

Expressions of Interest

Expressions of Interest closed on 22 October 2023.

If you have any questions, please email the AARC secretariat at aarc@autismcrc.com.au.

Please note that late applications will not be accepted and that sending an email introducing yourself will not be considered an Expression of Interest.

The decision about who will become members of the AARC will be considered by the current AARC membership and ratified by the Board of Autism CRC. We will advise people whether they have been selected or not via email by 1 December 2023.

Accessibility

If completing an online form isn’t accessible for you, or you have particular access needs for participating in AARC meetings that you would like to discuss in advance please let us know by emailing aarc@autismcrc.com.au. Disclosing any access needs in advance is not required.

Please note that joining the AARC will require you to be able to read and comment on written documents (or use a screen reader to read them to you).

Frequently Asked Questions

The AARC holds its meetings online through a combination of an online forum and a virtual meeting. The online forum is open for at least 7 days and the virtual meeting runs from an hour to 90 minutes. Some members have also chosen to contribute via email or by recording a video of themselves to share with the rest of the group.

It is up to each member how they would like to participate. The agenda and papers are sent out one week before the meeting.

Full meetings of the AARC take place between 3 and 5 times a year.

In addition to full meetings of the AARC, members may also be invited to additional meetings relevant to any project work being undertaken on behalf of the Council. Matters may also be considered out of session via email or an online poll.

The AARC can have up to 15 members. This round there are a maximum of 8 positions available. Not all of the available positions will necessarily be filled by new candidates. Renominating AARC members can be appointed to up to half of the vacant positions.