Like the one that has seen Ballarat's Cafe BEST close its doors, forcing its special needs workforce onto pensions.

The cafe employed 15 people in Ballarat, a number of whom have disabilities which make it less easy for them to work in the mainstream.

That was the point of Cafe BEST. It gave such people an opportunity to get work experience in a real-life environment with all the necessary support to prepare them for careers beyond the cafe.

It gave them a sense of worth, an opportunity for learning and growth and a chance to interact with members of the public in the most normal of circumstances. It gave them a future to look forward to.

As one mum said about her son's involvement: "He feels worthy, needed and wanted".

No wonder there was a waiting list of potential employees.

It was no secret that the cafe had been struggling, despite the efforts of BEST Community Development, which had poured in more than $500,000 of its own funds in the past three years in a bid to secure its future.

There is an argument to be had that if the business wasn't sustainable, it had no choice but to fold.

Those who might push that line forget that this business wasn't about profit. It was about people - people who would otherwise be "clients" of the government.

Local businesses recognised the social contribution Cafe BEST made to the community. Some, including this newspaper, sponsored employees to the tune of $10,000 a year in order to support the cause.

Such was the nature of the enterprise that it has won a strong of local, state and national awards for its endeavours.

None of this was enough, however, to convince the Federal Government that the program was worth investing in.

A grant of $100,000 from the Federal Government would have allowed Cafe BEST to restructure and prove its financial viability.

But instead of paying these people a part-pension and allowing them to earn their keep otherwise, the government declined and will now pay them a pension instead.

That is disappointing - and nonsensical.

Our local members of parliament were canvassed for support.

Whatever representation they made to their governments appears to have fallen on deaf ears.