General News
7 July, 2026
‘Heart-breaking’ decision for disability operation
A HOUSING and business operation that provides accommodation and work for people with a disability may have to close its doors at the end of this month.
Endeavour Foundation’s operations on Cobra Creek Road currently houses four people with a disability and has a number of workers who undertake activities such as document destruction and paper shredding, and general packaging has become economically unviable, according to the organisation.
It says that in recent years – particularly under the NDIS – it has faced significant viability concerns, despite a long history of supporting people with a disability in Mareeba going back to the 1980s.
“Like other disability service providers, we face increasing operating costs just to stay open,” chief corporate relations officer Kirrily Boulton said.
“We remain incredibly proud of the great work our supported employees have been doing in Mareeba however, we have not been able to attract the commercial partnerships we need to operate a strong and viable supported employment service.
“We have also found the NDIS is not suited to supported employment, especially in regional areas.
“For many years we have alerted the government to the significant challenges for supported employment under the NDIS.
“We continue to advocate for a stable, sustainable supported employment model.
“As the largest employer of people with intellectual disability in Australia, it is deeply concerning that we haven’t seen any change in response to our concerns.
“As anyone who has had anything to do with the scheme would know, the NDIS is extremely complex. There is significant administration involved in providing employment services under the NDIS, and this does nothing to improve employment outcomes.
“Ultimately, we’d like supported employment to be removed from the NDIS and moved to a simple, stable and sustainable funding model. This would allow us to focus our time and energy on creating employment opportunities and developing people’s skills – not on paperwork that doesn’t improve anyone’s life.
“We’ve now reached the difficult position that we cannot see a viable way forward for our Mareeba social enterprise and supported independent living service.”
The Endeavour Foundation had begun a period of formal consultation with 14 people with a disability who are impacted along with their families.
“This is a heart-breaking time, and it’s certainly not something we’re taking lightly,” Ms Boulton said.
“We are particularly grateful to local families, community members and businesses who generously supported us and enabled us to support people with intellectual disability in Mareeba.
“We are very mindful of the impact this news will have on every person, and their families. We will work closely with each one to look at other options for employment and support, throughout this process.
“We would welcome contact from any local business that would like to employ one of our supported employees. They are hard-working, diligent and love their work. We are proud of all they have achieved.”
Ms Boulton said the proposed date for closing the operations at Mareeba was 31 July.
“For people in supported independent living, we have proposed that the service would continue for 12 weeks, because it is more complex to choose and transition to another provider,” she said.
“We have not put the land and buildings up for sale. We are focused on people we support, their families and our staff. Our priority is to support them through this time in the best way we can and assist in finding other support options.”
Asked where the four people with a disability who are housed at the facility would go, Ms Boulton said: “Participants make their own choices about where they live and who will provide their support. These are private decisions and it is not our place to share this.”
