An Eagle Farm-based charity has made 41 workers redundant, just weeks after being named Brisbane’s social enterprise of the year.
Read: Help Enterprises Recognised Among 2025 Business Award Finalists in Eagle Farm
Help Enterprises, based at Curtin Avenue E in Eagle Farm, offers employment to people with disability across manufacturing, warehousing, and packaging. In November 2025, the organisation took out the social enterprise of the year title at the Lord Mayor’s Business Awards, with its chief executive reportedly describing the honour as a powerful acknowledgement of the team’s hard work and dedication.
But by January, dozens of supported employees at the Eagle Farm site had allegedly been called into the office and told their positions no longer existed.
For some, the news was devastating. One long-serving worker who had been with Help Enterprises for more than two decades reportedly described feeling completely empty after being told he had lost his job. He allegedly said the announcement came without warning, and that as recently as the work Christmas party the month prior, staff had reportedly been assured their jobs were secure regardless of circumstances.
A Contract Lost, A Workforce Left Behind
Help Enterprises chief executive Steve Wyborn confirmed the redundancies followed a long-standing commercial partner’s decision to bring its services in-house, removing a significant volume of work from the Eagle Farm site.
Mr Wyborn said the organisation had been working closely with all 41 affected employees to support continuity of employment. He said seven workers had already transitioned into new roles within Help’s manufacturing and nursery teams, nine had commenced employment elsewhere, and a further 13 had entered job trials or alternative employment pathways. The remaining workers were reportedly continuing to weigh up their options, with individual check-ins ongoing.
He added that Help remained committed to delivering sustainable, diversified employment for people with disability, and that the organisation was actively repositioning its commercial operations to strengthen future stability.
Below Minimum Wage, and Now No Wage
The redundancies have reignited debate around the vulnerability of supported employment models for people with disability. Help Enterprises, like similar organisations, operates under the supported employee wage system, which legally permits employers to pay workers with disability below the national minimum wage based on assessed productivity and skill levels. As of July last year, supported employees could be paid $7.10 or $14.19 per hour, depending on productivity and skills assessment.
Read: Family-Owned Manufacturer in Eagle Farm Secures Major Export Deal
‘I Still Wish to Work’
For an Eagle Farm worker who spent more than 20 years at Help Enterprises, the impact has been both financial and personal. He reportedly said he now has to carefully budget each fortnight on his pension, something he had not needed to do while working. But it is the routine, getting up each morning, heading in, being around colleagues, that he allegedly misses most.
He reportedly said that given the chance, he would return to Help Enterprises without hesitation. His situation reflects a reality that disability advocates say is all too common: for many people with disability, supported employment is not just a job. It is structure, social connection, and a sense of purpose.
Disability advocates argued that workers with disability deserve inclusive employment models with equal pay, rather than systems dependent on charity contracts and below-minimum wages.
Published 17-April-2026
