On behalf of the Board, I am pleased to present Workpower’s Annual Report for 2025–26.

After several years of considerable growth and organisational change, this was a year in which we saw greater stability across Workpower. Strong systems, clear accountability and a focus on delivering the strategy pointed to a more integrated and capable organisation. This steady progress is particularly important given the dynamic environment in which Workpower operates.

NDIS reform, evolving employment policy, workforce pressures and changing commercial conditions continue to reshape disability services and employment in Australia. While the full implications of this evolving landscape are not yet known, the Board believes Workpower enters the next period from a strong position.

Workpower proudly supports people across metropolitan and regional Western Australia, operates a diverse portfolio of commercial businesses and brings valuable practical experience to discussions about the future of disability employment. Our ability to influence policy comes with responsibility. Our contribution to discussions about the future of disability employment remains grounded in what we learn from our employees with disability, participants and their families, as well as our staff, partners and employers.

The Board continues to support the strategic direction expressed through Workpower’s School, Learn, Work and Life model and is pleased to see the difference it is making. The model is built around a simple recognition: people’s aspirations and circumstances change throughout their lives, and they should have access to connected opportunities across employment, learning and community participation. Workpower must continue to evolve its services with them.

At Workpower, commercial success is not separate from our purpose. It is fundamental to achieving it. Successful businesses create sustainable jobs and careers for people with disability. They also demonstrate capability, challenge assumptions and make inclusion visible through the quality of the work delivered to customers every day. As a leader in disability employment, Workpower has a responsibility to show that commercial excellence and disability inclusion strengthen one another, and to use its experience and influence to raise expectations of what is possible.

Our ambition is not simply to operate viable businesses. It is to operate excellent businesses in which people with disability are recognised and valued for their contribution. Growth must also be thoughtful. New opportunities need to align with Workpower’s purpose, be financially responsible and be pursued without compromising quality, safeguarding or existing services.

During the year, the Board maintained its focus on strategic direction, financial sustainability, safeguarding and risk. We refreshed Workpower’s Governance Framework and Strategic Risk Plan, strengthened the connection between strategy and Board reporting, and developed a clearer approach to assessing future partnerships and investments.

Looking ahead, Workpower will need to continue adapting to sector reform, advocating for employment choice and investing in areas that create sustainable opportunities. It must also be willing to make difficult decisions where services or businesses no longer deliver the outcomes or viability required. The Board is confident in Workpower’s direction and realistic about the challenges ahead. That confidence comes from the progress reflected in this report, the capability of the organisation’s leadership and the way challenges are openly addressed.

I thank my fellow Directors for the experience and considered judgement they have brought to the Board throughout the year.

On behalf of the Board, I also thank Lee, the Executive and Leadership Teams, and all Workpower staff for their contribution.

Finally, I acknowledge Workpower’s employees, customers, students and participants, together with their families, our partners and commercial customers. Workpower’s future will continue to be shaped by the aspirations of the people it exists to serve and the relationships that make its work possible.