After a months-long campaign led by parents, support groups and local MPs, Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced last week that a centre would be established in the region to meet overwhelming demand. Centrelink statistics show that more than half of the states's autistic children live within a 40-kilometre radius of Liverpool, with anecdotal evidence suggesting that affected families seek affordable housing because of the costs associated with the disorders.

The centre, one of just six to be built across the country, will provide vital early intervention programs involving teachers, psychologists, an occupational therapist and a speech pathologist to help children develop social and cognitive skills.

Werriwa MP Chris Hayes said the centre would also focus on research and training, to achieve a better understanding of autism and develop best practice services.

``It will enable the Government to test the effectiveness of the autism specific child care and early intervention model to inform consideration of further expansion,'' Chris Hayes said. ``Raising a child with autism can be extremely difficult and few people understand the challenges parents and carers face.''

The Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs will hold an open selection process for service providers to operate the centre.

Applicants will be expected to have expertise in child care and early intervention for children with ASDs and an affiliation with a relevant university or hospital specialising in pediatric, early childhood or ASD-related research.