Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am sure that many of us will rise this week to speak on the value of volunteers. It is quite appropriate therefore that we have representatives of Rotary students here with us in the chamber. Rotary is one of the outstanding international voluntary organisations. This week is National Volunteer Week. In my electorate of Ryan in my home state of Queensland the value of volunteers was truly thrown into the spotlight during our disastrous summer of floods and cyclones. Volunteers rarely seek acknowledgment for their services and are often among our most humble and modest citizens. Since becoming a member of parliament, I have been honoured to have the opportunity to recognise many of our tireless Ryan volunteers, all of whom give a tremendous amount of time and energy to support others.

Volunteers turn a suburb into a community—volunteers, such as the dad who manages a junior sporting team or the mum who does tuckshop duty, the dedicated and hardworking bush care groups who revive our waterways and the tireless providers of meals on wheels. The Ryan community service awards earlier this year acknowledged wonderful people in groups who devote their time to services ranging from literacy programs for prisoners to providing comfort and counselling for cancer patients.

The theme for National Volunteers Week this year is 'Inspiring the volunteer in you'. To me, nothing has been more inspirational than the army of everyday people who took up the call during the Brisbane floods in January. As a result of the huge efforts of local churches, schools, community groups and individuals just wanting to help, the people of Brisbane achieved in three days of clean-up what took three months back in the 1974 floods. And this spirit has not disappeared with the receding waters. Agencies are still receiving donations of goods to help people get back on their feet. Although the sun is finally shining in Ryan, people are still struggling. We must not allow them to feel isolated, alone or helpless.

Although this passed summer of disasters highlighted the true giving and compassionate nature of individuals, what really shone through for me was how community groups were able to call on their members, their volunteers, and coordinate their efforts so easily. Whether or not there is a natural disaster, these volunteers are active within their organisations and the community day in and day out. As the flood waters moved south over Queensland onto New South Wales and Victoria and then Far North Queensland was hit by Cyclone Yasi, the Red Cross, supported by the Salvation Army and the SES, were there, deploying their volunteers across the state to set up and run evacuation centres in towns and cities that were rapidly going under. The magnitude of the disasters and that the Red Cross could still establish these centres effectively speaks volumes about the number and dedication of volunteers in this organisation alone. It is worth noting that 34 per cent of the adult population—more than 5½ million—do voluntary work each year, and this figure continues to grow. Volunteers contribute more than 700 million hours annually, at an estimated value to the economy in excess of $75 billion per annum. Volunteers hold together our community in times of need—which, for many of us, is not necessarily only in times when tragedies dominate the headlines, but monthly, weekly, daily when a person feels alone or just needs a helping hand. (Time expired)

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