Judi Moylan (Pearce, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the report of the Standing Committee Family, Community, Housing and Youth into community and welfare volunteering arising from the recent roundtable. Volunteering and its diversity is the heart and soul of the Australian community. It is the glue which binds the nation. The lives of many in the community are made richer and given added quality through the unselfish sharing of time and talent of around five million Australians. Volunteers come from all walks of life, and at the heart of their efforts is a sense of community responsibility. But it is a win-win situation, as many derive a great deal of personal satisfaction, developing life-long friendships and discovering hidden talents, from contributing to their community. One thing is for certain: volunteering contributes massively to our social and economic capital. The estimated value of volunteer work is $42 billion per year. Anyone who willingly gives unpaid help to, or through, an organisation is considered a volunteer.

This volunteering forum demonstrated that the sector faces both changes and challenges. Contemporary life fragments families and communities, making volunteering as important as it ever was. However, increasing administrative and legal complexities and the recruitment and training of volunteers, especially in an environment of full employment, could pose a threat to the volunteering core. On the other hand, the growth of corporate volunteering, where employees are given paid leave to do voluntary work, swells the diminishing ranks of the traditional volunteers, many of whom were women finding time between domestic duties to volunteer, and of course retirees. This report suggests that volunteering could be better recognised by all levels of government on a formal basis. In fact, this is why I, as a new member of parliament, established the Pearce Australia Day Award. As I travelled around the many communities of Pearce, I recognised the army of people donating their time to a variety of causes. Three women from the country town of Northam were amongst the first winners of the Pearce Australia Day award. Between them, they gave 90 years of service to the local Meals on Wheels, hardly missing a day. Awards have gone to children and 90-year-olds for their contributions, with examples too many to detail in the short time I have available. Ambulance drivers, fire fighters, visitors to the chronically ill and aged, environmental workers, and people working in arts, heritage and sports are amongst the many volunteer groups in the community.

The government’s role in volunteering is important in terms of funding, but it needs to be extended. For instance, more recognition is needed as to the importance of volunteering. A way to achieve this is to implement the discussion paper’s suggestion to include volunteering as an elective subject in tertiary education. This would engage young people in volunteering, assist with their personal development, help the country both socially and economically and, importantly, establish a pattern for a lifetime commitment to volunteering.

I do hope that this report is acted on and is not one of those that just finds its way to the library shelves and that we in this place continue to promote the value of volunteering both in this House and within our communities. I would like to join the chair of the committee, the member for Canberra, and thank her for her contribution in ensuring that this forum was a success. I would also like to thank the many individuals and organisations who actually took time out of their busy schedules to appear before the committee and contribute to this report.

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