Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Justice and Customs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am pleased to be able to speak on volunteering in connection with the discussion paper put out by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Family, Community, Housing and Youth. It results from a round table conducted in Sydney on the value of volunteering, which I and other members of the committee took part in.

I would like to emphasise the importance of and the place that volunteers hold in our community. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, more than 4.4 million Australians aged 18 years and over did voluntary work in 2000, contributing a total of 704 million hours of unpaid work to the Australian economy. I was in the west of my electorate recently at the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens at Buronga, near Wentworth in Western New South Wales. These beautiful inland gardens are run almost entirely by volunteers. In the gift shop there is a really big sign, which I think is cross-stitched, which says, ‘Volunteers are not paid, not because they are worthless but because they are priceless.’ I think that captures very much the spirit of volunteering.

In an electorate as diverse as mine in Farrer, there are many volunteer organisations. For most of the towns and communities throughout these areas, the backbone of the community is the volunteer. Without the volunteers these communities would be so much poorer in so many ways. There are many examples of those who volunteer for the betterment of their community, their neighbours, their children, their animals and the environment and—possibly—just to promote the values that they hold dear.

Over recent weeks I have been encouraging volunteer organisations to apply for the Volunteer Small Equipment Grants, and I must thank the current government for continuing these grants. In the past they have been invaluable to so many organisations which do not have the funds to purchase often very small items of equipment to help them carry out their volunteer duties. Only yesterday, I was contacted by a volunteer from the western end of my electorate, who, I think, is eligible for an IGA award, an unsung hero award—the prize being $500. Her attitude was: ‘Please vote for me. If I win the award I will put it straight back into hampers to send out to drought affected communities.’ I was humbled to hear of such a gesture.

Last week I was in Broken Hill, a town with an uncertain future due to major job losses, meeting with volunteers from the Broken Hill and District Hearing Resource Centre, who are desperate for support to sustain a facility that was simply begun by a woman who lost her hearing and wondered how many out in the community were feeling just as she did. They had applied for funds under the Regional Partnerships program. That program is, at worst, cancelled and, at best, on ice. I am worried that volunteers within my electorate are now finding it difficult to find a progam that suits their needs.

The Henty field days are a major event in the eastern part of my electorate. Some 30,000 people attend the field days. Volunteer organisations from a 100-kilometre radius work at the field days. They set up, they man the gates, they serve food, St John’s Ambulance volunteers attend and local school parents clean the toilets. The field day organisers pay the organisations for their time, and volunteers do the work. In May this year, I was invited to present certificates to volunteers at Culcairn’s community newsletter, the Oasis. The Oasis was one of the volunteer groups that received a grant under the 2007 Volunteer Small Equipment Grants program. The newsletter is going strong and is a great example of how volunteering connects with our local communities.

People and, as I said, animals benefit from the valuable work of volunteers. This was evident at the Million Paws Walk held in Albury recently. Volunteers at the RSPCA help more than 138,000 animals find shelter, and every dollar raised at the walk assists the RSPCA operate its animal shelters, support its inspectorate services and provide community education on animal welfare issues. I should mention Landcare, with their volunteers helping the environment and the absolutely crucial role that they play. The Landcare cuts—we have seen quite strong and deep cuts made by the incoming government—have meant that Landcare groups and communities in my electorate are desperate to continue the good work but are finding it very hard to manage with limited resources. I should mention St Vincent de Paul, the Salvation Army, the CWA and many of our service organisations, such as Rotary and Lions, who are there looking after people who are too easily forgotten. I should also mention the RSL. In my area, the Hume veterans just recently celebrated 60 years of support for local returned service men and women.

The member for Forrest made a moving speech about someone in her electorate who was a victim of the Bali bombings, and we should recognise our volunteer services here in Australia. These volunteers attend after geographic devastation, accidents on our roads or a crisis that no-one could have possibly foreseen. We should recognise that the volunteers in rescue associations in the various states and in the SES give an enormous amount of their time. And it is not just the time taken to attend an accident scene; it is the ongoing effect that that accident may have on them and their families. It is quite remarkable when you consider that so many of those positions are filled by volunteers.

Meals on Wheels is another fantastic example of the work that volunteers do. Since its inception 55 years ago, providing meals to only eight people, the service has grown to become one of Australia’s most vital volunteer institutions, delivering upwards of 50,000 meals a day to frail aged and disabled residents throughout the country. Meals on Wheels helps to provide regular social contact and community involvement to clients and volunteers alike. I think the simple act of providing a warm and enjoyable meal provides a measure of independence for many of my constituents and others and enables them to live in their own homes for longer.

In conclusion, may I thank all of the volunteers in the electorate of Farrer for the work that they do. May I recognise and encourage our young people. What we found out at our volunteering roundtable was that there may be a public perception that it is the older folk who are volunteering—and certainly, if you look at the small towns and communities around rural Australia, that is what you see—but it is definitely not the case that young people are uninterested or excluding themselves from volunteering activities. What we found was that young people see themselves very much as part of the interconnected global community, and so they may not volunteer in their town but they may belong to global organisations such as Make Poverty History or the Micah Challenge or be connected with overseas aid organisations in a different way. This reflects the fact that young people do in fact see themselves not as part of a small rural community but very much as part of a global community. That is a good thing, that is a positive thing, and the hours and the efforts that young people are putting into volunteering are also considerable. I think that does bode well for the future, and I look forward to many more successful volunteering events and recognition in the communities in which I serve.

Jodie Campbell (Bass, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have spoken before on the vital nature of volunteers, of the integral role which they play in all of our communities. I believe it is not an exaggeration to say that, without the tens of thousands of unpaid man-hours worked by volunteers, our communities and our society would simply cease to function. It is for this reason that I stand before you today.

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Family, Community, Housing and Youth, of which I am proud to be a member, has investigated volunteering in the community and welfare sectors. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the incredibly hardworking staff of the secretariat for all of their organisation and assistance. I note their attendance here today, and I thank them for everything that they have done.

In speaking to the roundtable’s draft discussion paper, I would like to reflect on not only its findings but my own experiences with volunteering and some of the outstanding contributions made by volunteers in my electorate of Bass. I believe one of the great challenges we face is how we encourage our young people to become involved in volunteering. When I was 17, I completed a Lifelink Samaritans course. This is an organisation with a 40-year history of helping people when they need it most. I was trained to answer telephones and provide support to those who called. They may have been lonely, depressed or under pressure. Whatever it was, I was there to provide a presence on the other end of the phone. This was a most rewarding and life-informing period, and I can speak firsthand of the benefit which comes from giving something back to the community.

I was both amazed and humbled during my time as Deputy Mayor of Launceston to attend many events recognising the contribution of volunteers. One, however, sticks out and has stayed in my mind. It was honouring volunteers at the National Trust’s Franklin House for thousands—and I say again, thousands—of hours of volunteer time. Many at Franklin House are elderly, and with each passing year filling the roster of house and garden staff proves harder and harder. People like Pat Ahern, Terry Childs, Joy Spence, Jan Towns and Julie Dineen are tireless in their commitment and passion. To each of them and to the hundreds of volunteers across my electorate of Bass, I take this opportunity to say thank you. Among those volunteers are the workers at Launceston’s City Park Radio, or Friends of FM as they are known. I recently attended their annual general meeting and took the opportunity to stress the integral role which volunteers play in the rich fabric of our society.

As I said earlier, the roles of unpaid workers—of volunteers—are essential to our communities. Without them our health system could not cope, our education systems would fail, the most basic of services would go undelivered and our arts, cultural and sporting groups simply would not exist. The most basic elements which go to make communities what they are are so often provided by volunteers. That is why I am so passionate about wanting more young people to become involved.

This is a theme on which I often speak when I get the opportunity, be it at schools or community events, because I believe in the fundamental importance of giving back and of acknowledging the amazing opportunities which we are afforded in this wonderful country. It was pleasing to read in the discussion paper that the greatest increase in volunteering rates is in the 18- to 24-year-old age group. In 1995 it was 17 per cent; however, by 2006 that had risen to 32 per cent. That equates to around 6.3 million incidents of volunteering. I would personally like to see a greater number of these young people working in the welfare sector; however, all volunteering is to be commended.

I mentioned before the thousands of hours volunteered at Franklin House. If we use that as an example, it is possible to imagine the sheer cost involved if we were to pay these people. Some estimates put it at around $30 billion a year; others place it closer to $50 billion. Whatever the reality is, it is clear that it is a considerable amount of money which is contributed to the economy as time.

Clearly, there is a role for governments of all levels in supporting volunteers. As freely as they give of their time, volunteers often end up out of pocket. That is why I wrote to volunteer organisations across Northern Tasmania encouraging them to apply for grants under the Rudd government’s Volunteer Grants Program. Among other things, groups and individuals can receive assistance to cover costs associated with volunteering, including fuel. This is only fair and appropriate given the rising costs associated with fuel in particular.

I also know from discussions with constituents that there are concerns associated with insurance for volunteers. In my home state of Tasmania the state government has been considering this issue for a number of years and I would urge it to act soon as volunteers are entitled to protection. It is, I would argue, the very least they could and should expect.

I commend to the House the discussion paper of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Family, Community, Housing and Youth The value of volunteering: a discussion paper on volunteering in the community and welfare sector, adding again my gratitude to our country’s many, many volunteers and my voice to those calling for greater recognition of their efforts.

Louise Markus (Greenway, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I preface my remarks by first thanking the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Family, Community, Housing and Youth for inviting the participation of not just me but my colleagues, the Hon. Judi Moylan, the Hon. Tony Abbott, the Hon. Sussan Ley who worked together to produce The value of volunteering landmark document.

The purpose of producing this body of work was, most importantly, to identify the challenges faced in the volunteer sector. Changing patterns of volunteering in terms of time given, a decline in the numbers of people volunteering and an increasing administrative and legal environment meant that the study of this important activity was timely.

There are two types of volunteering. The formal definition is an activity where someone will ‘willingly give unpaid help in the form of time, service or skills, to or through an organisation.’ The Australian Bureau of Statistics says that 30 per cent of the population are involved in this kind of volunteering. For example, the Sydney Olympics and Clean Up Australia Day are examples of formal volunteering.

Then there is informal volunteering. This is where an individual, a neighbour, friend or colleague, does not even realise that they are giving their time in the form of volunteering. This could be as simple as collecting a neighbour’s children from school, driving an elderly friend to a doctor, or collecting cans for charity. It is unstructured, often random, and most of the time just seen as giving a helping hand. The ABS estimates that 19 per cent of Australians are identified as informal volunteers.

The committee held a forum in Sydney in May 2008 and a number of individuals and representatives were invited to participate. These included Volunteering Australia, the national peak body for volunteers and volunteering; a number of large and smaller community and welfare organisations, from both local and regional areas; and individuals. In fact, a very good cross-section of the community involved in volunteering were present. Their contribution to the research was invaluable, and I thank them. At the forum, discussion focused on emerging trends in volunteering in Australia—notably, challenges for individual volunteers, and also operational, administrative and legislative challenges for volunteer organisations.

According, again, to the Bureau of Statistics, more than five million Australians aged 18 years and over performed voluntary work in 2006. These volunteers contributed a total of 713 million hours of unpaid work to the Australian economy. The economic value of volunteering in Australia has been estimated to be approximately $42 billion per annum, with the time donated by volunteers to welfare services alone being responsible for $27.4 billion per annum. Governments and the community do value our volunteers because of the enormous savings that their unpaid work delivers to our economy. We need—it is vital for us—to support their work and encourage their activities.

A number of issues emerged during the forum, including the changing patterns of volunteering. I will highlight several points. Some organisations are facing declining volunteer numbers and are having difficulty attracting new recruits. Volunteers have less time to give to volunteering. Thirteen years ago 24 per cent of the total number of annual volunteer hours was contributed to the community and welfare sector but, by 2006, the ABS reports that this number had halved. Younger volunteers contribute a smaller number of volunteer hours per individual. The emergence of corporate involvement with volunteering is another point. The concept of social responsibility has been embraced by a number of large corporations who have set up employee groups.

The volunteer organisation sector is as diverse as it is large. In my own electorate of Greenway we have examples of the broad range—and this list is not exhaustive; there are many other volunteer organisations—including Lions; Rotary; chambers of commerce; sporting and recreation groups; farmer groups; environmental organisations; multicultural groups such as Sri Om Care, a voluntary care organisation for elderly people which has a day centre and activities for seniors, and the Australian Sikh Association in Glenwood, which has a number of community support programs and relies solely on volunteers; and Connections Community Developments, which operates in the newer Rouse Hill development sector within my electorate. They are supported by the corporate organisations but, again, rely heavily on volunteers. Thanks to them, initial support groups for families, such as parents groups, are being developed for the first time. They run a number of community activities and events where they bring the community together.

What type of people are likely to volunteer? Historically, of course, women have volunteered more commonly than men, although the percentage is not that different—36 per cent versus 32 per cent. For the population as a whole, the volunteering rate was highest, at 43 per cent, in the 35 to 44 age group, followed by the 45 to 50 age group at 39 per cent. Those groupings correlate to families with children in sport and people reaching retirement age with extra free time. The saying ‘If you want something done just ask a busy person’ is evident in the statistics for people in employment. They had an 11 per cent higher rate of volunteering than those who were unemployed.

I suppose the question needs to be asked: why do people volunteer? The most popular reason, of course, was ‘helping others or helping the community’. Other reasons are more personal, such as personal satisfaction, social contact, learning new skills and gaining work experience.

One participant at the forum said that the older generation seemed, from their experience, to volunteer out of a sense of responsibility and that, growing up in a culture of responsibility, they felt a responsibility to contribute. The younger generation are often looking to how they can develop their needs and their skills, and so this is where volunteer organisations are challenged with adapting to and engaging younger volunteers, and newer groups are having to think outside the box and connect with the real motivations behind people volunteering. Whatever the reason, we are all better for the experience—those who volunteer and those who are the beneficiaries of their work.

Of course, the downside of volunteering is the increasing paperwork and levels of duty of care. There is an increasingly complex administrative and legal operating environment that affects volunteers. There is a view that volunteers are reluctant to accept governance or administrative roles because they did not volunteer necessarily to do paperwork, they want to do the practical side of things. In addition, concern was expressed regarding possible legal implications and liabilities for volunteers who accept governance positions.

The work of the committee revealed a new view of volunteering issues. Organisations wishing to recruit volunteers looked at trying to link opportunities for personal development and skills, or the opportunity to undertake training or gain qualifications. Assistance with costs would be of some benefit, and 28 per cent of volunteers reported that out-of-pocket expenses had a negative impact on their volunteering and that could be the high cost of fuel, phone or other items.

While volunteering may be free, the cost of recruitment, support, management and retention of volunteers is not. That is a cost to organisations and there may need to be some support for these. Ways of harnessing the goodwill of people, who are already volunteers or who are seeking to volunteer, are being canvassed and this work needs to be done. That work has started with the work of this committee and the generous and honest participation of volunteer organisations and individuals. I was pleased to be a part of that work and I wish the committee well in the future. I commend the report to the House.

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise as a member of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Family, Community, Housing and Youth to talk about the discussion paper that we prepared, titled The value of volunteering. This document canvasses the changing nature of volunteering in Australia. It looks at the many challenges and the issues that organisations and community and welfare sectors face as they find it increasingly difficult to attract and retain volunteers.

As a member of the committee I was fortunate enough, along with many other committee members, to spend some genuine time, talking with the volunteers and representatives who rely on volunteers at a roundtable discussion in Sydney earlier this year. It was this consultation process that formed the foundation for developing the discussion paper. It really revealed that the rates and patterns of volunteering have changed significantly over the past decade.

It also gave members of the committee a valuable insight into Australia’s volunteer profile. As members before me have said, the Australian Bureau of Statistic figures suggest that more than 30 per cent of people in Australia are volunteers. These volunteers contributed a total of 713 million hours of unpaid work to the Australian economy. The economic value of volunteering has been estimated at around $42 billion per annum. The time donated by volunteers to the welfare services, in particular, equates to $27.4 billion per year.

We noted that Australians participate in a range of volunteering activities, including fundraising, preparation and serving of food, teaching and providing information as well as management and committee work. The majority of Australians put up their hand to volunteer simply to help others or to help their communities. However, volunteers also participate for personal satisfaction, for social contact, to learn new skills and to gain work experience. The paper also identifies challenging trends and changing trends in volunteering

One of the most significant changes in trends is in relation to the increase in the number of young people—those aged 18 to 24 years—who now participate in volunteering. Over the past decade, the number of young people volunteering has increased from 17 per cent to 32 per cent, and this is certainly an interesting demographic shift when you consider that most people who volunteer are in the 35- to 44-year age group, followed by those aged 45 to 50. The trend seems to be that young people are turning more towards environmental and overseas aid organisations rather than considering volunteering in a role with more traditional community or welfare organisations. There seems to have been a considerable shift of volunteering by young people in the corporate sector also, with a growing trend towards corporate social responsibility.

This discussion paper raises many contemporary issues around volunteering and the way Australian people participate. I believe the discussion paper will foster healthy debate around the many challenges and changing trends facing those organisations that rely on the volunteers for their day-to-day activities. I know that in my own electorate of Franklin volunteers play a significant role, particularly across the welfare and community sectors. I want to take this opportunity to mention one, the Loui’s food van, which plays an integral role in assisting families and young children in the greater Hobart area. Last year alone the volunteers who work with Loui’s food van provided food, companionship and information and facilitated access to referral services to more than 11,000 homeless and disadvantaged people. This is in one year. It is run by the Society of St Vincent de Paul; they are a great organisation, helping many disadvantaged people in my electorate.

My electorate also has many other volunteer organisations and to list them all would take quite some time, so it is not my intention to do that. But I have been approached by many of the community volunteer organisations asking for assistance and asking if I can help them attract volunteers. I have, for the first time, put a notice in my newsletter for a particular organisation—the Clarence Community Volunteer Service—calling for volunteers to try to give them some support. I truly believe that as a nation we really cannot afford to lose this precious volunteer base. Volunteers are an essential linchpin to the continuation and delivery of vital services across the community and welfare sectors particularly. The role of volunteers in the Australian society is a valuable one. Volunteers contribute to building social capital, to sustaining communities and promoting social inclusion. There is no doubt that the Australian society benefits from those who volunteer their time and their expertise to organisations. New opportunities for volunteers are also emerging, and the standing committee recognises the challenges for the voluntary sector.

The committee also recognised the critical role for all tiers of government to ensure a dynamic, innovative and sustainable volunteer sector for the future. But overwhelmingly, the standing committee recognises the valuable contribution that volunteers make to society and to the economy. I put on record my appreciation for all of those people who volunteer in Australia, and particularly in my electorate of Franklin. I am sure the many people who benefit from those hours that they volunteer are extremely pleased that they do so. I commend this discussion paper to the House and, in doing so, I wish to thank the chair of the committee and the committee support team for their valuable work in preparing this paper. I commend the discussion paper to the chamber.

Brett Raguse (Forde, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak to The value of volunteering report; it is a very important discussion paper. Looking at the material, I understand this will certainly be the basis for much discussion and very much the reward in terms of recognising people and their volunteering efforts. As we know, volunteers are the beating heart of our nation. Without volunteers, governments, hospitals, schools and the community as a whole would falter. Every year Australians give up eight million hours of their time to volunteer. The reason for volunteering is generally wanting to help others in our community.

This report recognises that all three levels of government have extensive involvement with volunteering. Governments provide funding and program support and also invest in research. Governments initiate policy, often with the assistance of volunteers. Volunteers note that costs associated with volunteering are often a deterrent for encouraging people to volunteer. The federal government is making a start on this by expanding the Australian government’s $21 million Volunteer Grants Program in 2008. The government expanded items eligible for funding under the program to include things like petrol and other benefits for volunteers who use their own resources for volunteering purposes. This new measure will assist volunteers who use their vehicles to support people in the community, including delivering food to the homeless, taking disadvantaged children to Saturday sports and visiting the elderly.

We as the federal arm of government have a Minister for Social Inclusion and a Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector. What governments at all levels need to do is ensure that government support is not inconsistent and fragmented. There are many challenges facing the volunteering sector, and governments must manage those challenges and work with community organisations.

In my electorate of Forde, every year over 15,000 people volunteer their time for the benefit of the community. This is a great contribution to community life. In fact, just last week I addressed a classroom of students from the Tamrookum Primary School. It is a great little school in the southern area of my electorate, overlooking the beautiful Border Ranges into New South Wales. One question they asked me, when I addressed them as their federal member, was why I wanted to be a member of parliament. My answer included a reference to the ability to help the community and advocate for groups and organisations. Of course, as a member of the government and of the House committee that produced this report, I can say that this work and the opportunity to support volunteers in my community make me very proud to be a member of parliament.

I would like to thank the school for my warm welcome on that occasion. I should say that in the school communities, particularly in small communities like the Tamrookum school, the community spirit is very high and that shows in the amount of volunteering in that sector. I would like to make special reference to the school captains, who made me very welcome on that occasion, Ryan Carroll and Emily Hocking; the teachers, Chris Caverly and Michelle Holohan; the Principal, Liz Salmoni; and on that occasion the Acting Principal, Mike Kelly. While we did not specifically talk about volunteering, there was recognition that the school of Tamrookum has a very good community spirit.

I would also like to take the opportunity to thank those in the community of Forde who donate their time. The people of Forde, like many around the country, engage in a voluntary capacity in many activities that help our communities. This year on Queensland Day, which is 6 June, I introduced for the seat of Forde Queensland Day Awards to celebrate and recognise the members of our community who have worked very hard and committed themselves to voluntary work and the task of volunteering. I would like to make special mention of a select number of people who were nominated for their work within the community. This year I gave out 40 awards—which is a very small number compared to the identified 15,000 people at least who volunteer their services every year in electorates like mine.

I would like to make mention of a number of those people who were specially commended. One particularly stands out amongst them all. The inaugural Queenslander of the Year in the seat of Forde is Colin Nelson. I briefly want to give a bit of background, which also will enhance our understanding of what volunteers do. Colin worked on a voluntary basis for many years, particularly in the area of community banking and providing help to people in the area of finance. He established three community banks in the Logan and adjacent areas. He has also been responsible for organising large events, such as Logan’s Big Day Out, which is an event for the people of Logan who have disabilities, and Logan’s Little Heroes, which is an event for young people in Logan who have a terminal illness. I take this opportunity to congratulate Colin, who is the inaugural Queenslander of the Year in the seat of Forde.

There are another few people I would like to make comment on. Ada Banks has been involved with the Relay for Life committee, and I have had the pleasure of being involved in that group for a number of years. Albert Pryor has worked tirelessly for the Beaudesert community through Rotary, at the same time as running his own business full time. Both Albert and Ada were awarded what I call the Community Spirit Award, which is very much about their volunteering activities. I would also like to acknowledge Robert and Nikki Cheslin, from a group called On the Edge, for their work with youth and those who are disadvantaged. I would also like to acknowledge community groups such as Tamborine Mountain Landcare, who work to keep pristine the surrounds of Tamborine Mountain. In the age of major development in South-East Queensland, that is quite a task. They are doing some wonderful things and they know they have an enormous amount of support from me as their representative in government. The Logan and Albert Conservation Association educate the community and advocate for the protection of our natural environment. I would also like to acknowledge Eve Curtis and her team of volunteers at the Tamborine Mountain News, who will celebrate its 50th year in publication. This is the longest-running small format A4 newspaper, and its staff is completely volunteer based. It provides a wonderful service to the community.

We cannot thank volunteers enough for the work they do in our community. This report demonstrates that the community spirit is alive and well in this country. It is our role as the government to support community organisations, as they are the backbone of our nation. For that reason I commend the contents of this report to the Main Committee.

David Bradbury (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a great privilege to be able to stand up in this place and speak in support of the discussion paper that has been tabled by the committee, The value of volunteering. I take the opportunity to congratulate the committee on their good work. I am not a member of this committee but I can see from the outcomes of their deliberations, and particularly the work that they have done in organising a round table discussion, that they have done a great deal to advance the interests of volunteers so far as decision making in this place is concerned.

As someone who spent nine years in the Penrith City Council as a councillor and on two occasions served as the Mayor of the City of Penrith, I had the opportunity and great privilege of meeting many volunteers and volunteer organisations within my community. I must say that meeting those volunteers, hearing the stories that they have to share and meeting the people that they have helped have always been sources of inspiration to me. I acknowledge the efforts of all of the volunteers. I became the mayor in my first term just shortly after the Olympics were held in Sydney. Penrith, as one of the venues that had hosted events for the Olympic Games, had a very large group of local people involved in contributing to the Olympics as volunteers. Shortly after that, 2001 became the International Year of the Volunteer. I had the privilege as the mayor of the city of hosting a series of civic receptions to acknowledge the good work of volunteers in our community. Without question, I rank that as being one of the most satisfying things that occurred in the time that I served on the council. I take my hat off and acknowledge today the efforts of all volunteers for building social capital, contributing to our community and making the Penrith city the great place that it is today.

I would like to comment specifically on some of the items that have been outlined in the discussion paper—in particular, the issue of training. This is something that has been raised time and time again with me by local volunteer groups. It is emerging as a significant issue. It is connected in some ways to the increased administrative and legislative complexity that is associated with conducting the ordinary business of volunteers, but it is a separate proposition and one that I wish to speak to. The report articulates the need for a greater degree of uniformity in the way in which volunteer accreditation and training is undertaken, perhaps with a view towards leading to a system of accreditation that allows the seamless transition of volunteers from one volunteer organisation to another. That is something that should be commended.

Recently, in September, I had the opportunity in my electorate to attend a volunteer training project which was hosted by the Nepean Community College. I take this opportunity to acknowledge the outstanding work of the principal of the college, Mr Eric Wright, who has been doing a tremendous job with that organisation over many years and is a great local citizen. The project emerged out of the strong relationship that had been developed between Great Community Transport and the Nepean Community College. The project’s vision is to underpin the training of volunteers locally with nationally recognised units of competency. The impetus for this particular project followed a tragic incident involving a volunteer, where the volunteer had an accident involving a client with the service that they were volunteering for. I will speak more specifically about that incident a little bit later. This raised a range of quality compliance and of course recognition issues, both from an insurance and a regulatory perspective. The need was identified to generate an organic program that would underpin current volunteer training efforts with recognised training rather than enforcing a top-down accreditation and compliance approach. A focus group was held with a group of agencies whose core business is delivered by volunteers.

I want to acknowledge those participating agencies. I do not have sufficient time to acknowledge each and every one of the volunteers associated with these organisations but, collectively, I acknowledge their efforts and pay tribute to the great work that they do in our local community. The participating agencies on the day included: Nepean Migrant Access; Nepean Food Services; the Benevolent Society; the Cancer Council; Great Community Transport; Penrith City Council, particularly the volunteers used by its library; and the Nepean Volunteer Service and the various projects that are under its auspices. I will come back and talk about the Nepean Volunteer Service in a moment.

One of the outcomes of the project was agreement amongst the stakeholders that the Nepean Community College should make an application to be granted a licence from Volunteering Australia to deliver certificates I, II and III in active volunteering, which will provide the underpinning units of competency for the delivery of a locally based volunteer training course. I was very pleased to have attended and participated on that occasion and I congratulate all of the stakeholders for the enthusiasm with which they came together and initiated that process.

I said earlier that I wanted to say a few words specifically about the Nepean Volunteer Services. I acknowledge in particular that 2008 represents the 20th anniversary since its incorporation. It is a tremendous local organisation. As I said, it has been servicing the local community for two decades and has been doing so with great distinction. I acknowledge the staff, the volunteers and the members of the management committee, specifically the chairperson, Ann Ash; vice-chair, Kevin Forbes; the secretary, Peter Wilson; the treasurer, Alan Carter; the public officer and management committee member, John Ewan; other committee members, Kevin Finlayson, a great local citizen; David Arnett and David Taylor; and the services staff member, Tami Ross, who looks after accounts and administration.

The Nepean Volunteer Services run a number of significant projects that rely upon both state and federal funding. In particular, I wish to acknowledge the efforts of all of the volunteers associated with these services, but some of the paid staff as well—Kim Vlotman, the coordinator; Robin Mooring, associated with the Nepean neighbour aid service;, Helen Woolfenden, from the Community Visitors Scheme; Antoinette Abdelseed and Margaret Elder from the HACC volunteer training; and also Laurel Raddatz and Trish Boyd who are from the Volunteer Referral Service.

I note that the discussion paper engages in a fairly detailed discussion of the need to develop mechanisms for the linking of volunteers and potential volunteers with organisations in need of volunteers. I think the report describes them as volunteer-using organisations, or VUOs. I am pleased to report to the House that the Volunteer Referral Service, which is in fact a New South Wales state government funded program, is very much delivering that specific service to volunteers and volunteer-using organisations within our local community. Laurel Raddatz and Trish Boyd are at the helm; they do a great job. They are funded by the Department of Community Services. They essentially interview and recommend volunteers for community work in more than 80 not-for-profit organisations throughout the Western Sydney region.

One of the great things about this service is that it is not a simple database where volunteers can assess whether or not there is an opportunity to go and assist a particular organisation. This particular process involves someone sitting down and discussing with the potential volunteer their attributes and qualities and where they can make a contribution. As a result of that, the success rate of maintaining volunteers in the organisations that they are sent out to participate in has been very high.

I congratulate the service on the good work that they have been doing. On average, they refer more than 250 volunteers a year. The age range of volunteers is in their 20s through to retirees well into their 60s and beyond. They refer volunteers to great local organisations like the Museum of Fire, Barnardo’s at Cranebrook, Edinglassie Lodge, the Governor Phillip Nursing Home, Great Community Transport, Nepean Food Services and the North St Mary’s Neighbourhood Centre—just to name a few. They do a tremendous job and I acknowledge their efforts in linking volunteers with volunteer user organisations.

I said earlier that I wanted to say a few words in relation to increased administrative and legislative complexity. Clearly that is an increased burden on the not-for-profit sector. But what I would like to comment on more specifically is some of the legal implications that community groups are facing. There was an insurance crisis in this country not all that long ago and that led to massive increases in premiums, and that is something the not-for-profit sector had to confront. I think they did a good job by and large in coming to terms with that. In addition to that there are the criminal history record checks and, more and more so, the working with children checks which are obviously required and legitimate but impose a significant compliance and administrative burden on these organisations.

I want to read from some correspondence that I received from Helen Walker, who is the Manager of Great Community Transport. I take this opportunity to congratulate Helen. She is a great local resident and a great advocate of the region. Helen recently received the Woman of the West Award for her contribution to community services across the region of Western Sydney. I acknowledge her efforts. In advocating on behalf of her group, Great Community Transport, she alluded to a case that raises some of the real concerns that are expressed within this discussion paper in relation to legal obligations and requirements that arise for volunteers. She sets out in this email the events of ‘a dreadful accident’, as she describes it, that occurred in April this year and involved the death of a client. One of the volunteer drivers of the service had been charged with a criminal offence—that is, negligent driving causing death. This matter involved the volunteer pleading not guilty. The insurance did not cover any defence of this volunteer because there was a criminal matter involved. Notwithstanding that, support from a pro bono lawyer had been secured and that assisted. But now that the matter is going to court it involves the briefing of counsel. This person, who had been volunteering their time, through an incident that occurred on their watch and resulted in the very dreadful death of a client, now has to manage their own legal liability and exposure through the court system. That involves them having to incur costs and expenses in defending their case before the courts.

Clearly I do not wish to comment on the rights or wrongs of the charges. That is a matter for the courts. But it does raise the issue of exposure of volunteers. The organisation was insured but in this case that insurance did not provide the degree of protection necessary for assistance to this volunteer. What does that mean? What sort of message is that sending ultimately to our volunteers, who contribute their time often at their expense? Indeed, generally it is at their expense. It is their time, and potentially they could be facing a situation such as this. It is a very difficult problem that we have to confront. I think it is something that requires a coordinated response between the states and the federal government. But in the end if volunteers are exposed to this extent then I think it would be reasonable to conclude that cases such as this will discourage some people from volunteering their services, and that would be a great shame. That is an issue that I wish to bring to the attention of the House.

In concluding I would like to once again reaffirm my absolute congratulations to all of the volunteers within our community for the great work that they do. We do not pay them and, frankly, I do not think we could ever afford to pay them, such is the magnitude of the contribution that they make. There are so many outstanding groups within my local community. They are a continued source of inspiration to me. I acknowledge their efforts and I ask them to keep doing the great work that they are doing contributing to our community.

Debate (on motion by Mr Danby) adjourned.