¶ FORREST Personnel’s Collie office will shut doors as the organisation winds down its operations around the state in the coming months.
While Forrest was successful in the Federal Government’s recent Inclusive Employment Australia (IEA) tender process, it said the scope of the contract is “unsustainable” for its operations.
The new IEA specialist disability employment program, designed to “improve and simplify services”, will replace the Disability Employment Services (DES) program on November 1.
However, Forrest chief executive officer Lynne Harwood told the Bulletin that over the two-and-a-half-year tender process economic viability had been an ongoing concern for the community employment specialist.
“We had great hopes for the new tender outcomes, however the reality is we have been awarded less than what we have now, with the expectation that we serve an even bigger geographic footprint,” Ms Harwood said. 
“The result of this is that it is neither viable or sustainable for us to do this.”
Forrest has been delivering services to WA rural, regional and remote communities for 40 years.
It supports about 150 participants in Collie through its DES/IEA, labour hire, mental health and NDIS programs. 
“We employ two full-time staff members, as well as a handful of staff members working between our Bunbury and Collie offices,” Ms Harwood said.
“And at any given time, we have between 20 and 30 labour hire employees placed in and around the town.”
Ms Harwood said Forrest is arranging transitional pathways for all of its programs, participants and employees.
“We are currently working with a large national DES/IEA provider who will be taking over that program,” she said.
“And also working with a couple of large WA organisations to transition our other programs.”