DistantNews
Support us
🇦🇺 Australia /Culture & Society

Disability employment agency closure devastates Far North Queensland families

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Endeavour Foundation plans to close Mareeba Business Solutions (MBS), a supported-employment program for nearly 20 people with disabilities in Far North Queensland.
  • The foundation cited challenges in securing National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) funding and dwindling commercial contracts, leading to losses exceeding $200,000 last financial year.
  • Families and employees are devastated by the closure, fearing for the future and criticizing the NDIA's complex funding system.

Families of children with disabilities in Far North Queensland are devastated by the impending closure of Mareeba Business Solutions (MBS), a supported-employment program. The Endeavour Foundation, a nationwide disability service provider, plans to shut down MBS, which provides manufacturing and farm work for almost 20 individuals with special needs. Locals who fundraised for the facility are also concerned it may be sold.

They love going to work. They feel like they're contributing.

— Jo ThistleJo Thistle described the importance of supported employment for her children, highlighting their sense of contribution.

MBS, which began as a farm in the 1980s and expanded into manufacturing, offers employees tasks such as sorting fruit, grading coffee beans, refurbishing sprinklers, and recycling mattress components. The Endeavour Foundation attributes the closure to difficulties in securing funding from the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) and a decline in commercial contracts, resulting in losses over $200,000 in the last fiscal year.

The amount of paperwork, all the hoops you have to jump through, the whole system is just structured so wrong.

— Jo ThistleJo Thistle criticized the National Disability Insurance Agency's system for its complexity and perceived flaws.

Jo Thistle, whose children Nathan and Chloe rely on supported employment, expressed her distress. "They love going to work. They feel like they're contributing," she said, highlighting the program's role in treating employees as equals. She also criticized the NDIA's system, stating, "The amount of paperwork, all the hoops you have to jump through, the whole system is just structured so wrong."

I had a meltdown after the meeting.

— Chloe MurrayChloe Murray expressed her devastation upon learning about the closure of Mareeba Business Solutions.

Chloe Murray, one of Thistle's children, described having a "meltdown" upon hearing the news, emphasizing the unexpected nature of the closure and her uncertain future career prospects. Endeavour Foundation representative Kirrily Boulton acknowledged the difficulty of the conversations and expressed openness to discussions with local businesses and government about potential contracting opportunities for social enterprises. However, she cautioned against false hope, noting that charities can run out of money and that NDIA funding agreements are often unfavorable for supported employment, especially in regional areas.

We just haven't had the commercial contracts that provide the work for our people.

— Kirrily BoultonKirrily Boulton of Endeavour Foundation explained the financial challenges leading to the closure.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog