DESPITE hundreds of local job seekers expected to be hit hard by the closure of the Goulburn Campbell Page office, the employment agency and federal government are staying tight lipped.
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The provider failed an audit as a result of not meeting requirements of the employment services deed.
But the government and agency won’t comment to questions put by the Goulburn Post, saying the matter was commercial in confidence.
Federal Member for Hume Alby Schultz is not convinced.
He said residents have a right to know why Campbell Page is shutting its doors on June 30 and suspects there’s a deeper reason then what’s being presented.
“Incidentally, Campbell Page has left employees out in the cold and left their clients to wonder what to do next,” he said.
“What the issue here is why have they been shut down? What are the reasons for this sudden closure?”
A spokesperson for Minister of Employment Participation Kate Ellis, could not confirm or rule out Campbell Page as an agency which was investigated under the Butterworth review into fraudulent claims of brokerage fees.
Campbell Page provides job seeking services to clients receiving Centrelink and those who fall under the disability employment services scheme The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) website states all providers, in non-remote areas, who were offering disability services had their contracts extended by a further eight months till March, 2013.
The DEEWR website also rates Campbell Page as a high performer with three, four and five ‘stars’ allocated across the board.
“The Commonwealth Government, through DEEWR, has a structured process of review and can elect to change the provider of employment services in a particular area,” a spokesperson for Campbell Page told the Post.
“This is the case with the Campbell Page contract for Goulburn.
“For our clients, including those at the Crookwell outreach program, it is business as usual until the completion of the formal transition.”
However Campbell Page was not prepared to comment on the roll on effects after the “transition”.
Local real estate agent Peter Mylonas, who owns the Campbell Page building, said he was advised on April 20 that the provider would be pulling out of their lease because its contract had not been renewed.
“They were quite shattered because they thought they had won the contract,” he said.
“The staff were shocked as well. They (Campbell Page) believed they would be around for a while.”
Mr Mylonas said there were two strong contenders to lease the building and was confident of signing a lease within the next month.
The Post can confirm the new provider for the Southern Ranges will be GemSail MBC Employment Services.
There was no formal tender process conducted by DEEWR and it is believed to have made direct contact with MBC, offering them the position late Monday.
Neither the director of MBC, Michelle Greig nor the department could comment on the specifics of why no tender process was conducted.
“This is an option the department can and does exercise to ensure the continuation of vital job services,” a spokesperson for the department said.
Ms Greig said MBC was a former service provider in the Goulburn district, but is predominately based in the Illawara region, and now has returned to the area.
Due to the short notice of their takeover, Ms Greig said, the future of Campbell Page employees remains up in the air.
Ms Greig ensured there would be an office in Goulburn.
The department told the Post that no contract had been signed by a new provider to date.
Mr Schultz said he will continue to lobby Minister Ellis and the government for answers.
