Autism Awareness Australia CEO slams ‘appalling’ Don Burke

The boss of Australia’s peak Autism body has launched a stinging attack on Don Burke for claiming he suffers from Asperger’s syndrome while defending himself against sexual harassment allegations.

He explained some of his behaviour as a symptom of Asperger’s syndrome, for which he has never been diagnosed.

​”I can look into the lens, but I have difficulty looking at people in the eye,” he told Tracy Grimshaw . “I missed the body language and the subtle signs that people give you. I don’t see that.

“I suffer from a terrible problem with that. Not seeing. No one can understand how you can’t see it. But you don’t.”

Nicole Rogerson, Autism Awareness Australia chief executive, slammed that suggestion.

Click PLAY above to hear the full interview

“I’m disgusted. My heart rate is still up,” she told Neil Mitchell.

“I find it appalling that at the last minute not only has he got all the women in this country off his side, he then turns around and says I’m going to bring autism into it.

“I highly doubt he has Autism. Nothing in his behaviour suggests he does.

“You made the point, he has great eye contact (in his interview with Tracy Grimshaw).

“What a grub of a man.”