Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises the fantastic contribution that volunteers make to the community of Bonner, and to Australia in general;

(2) notes there are 8 million volunteers around Australia in organisations like sports clubs, charities and schools;

(3) congratulates the Government for allocating $20 million in funding to support volunteering; and

(4) notes that volunteering efforts make an estimated annual economic and social contribution of $290 billion.

I'm thrilled this government is continuing its strong support of our volunteers. Volunteers are the lifeblood of our local community, organisations and groups. They make a real difference. I'm proud to recognise the outstanding volunteers in my electorate every year with the Bonner Volunteer Awards, and I'm proud to be part of a government that is supporting their efforts with $20 million for the 2018 Volunteer Grants round. There are more than 8.7 million volunteers across Australia who make an estimated annual economic and social contribution of $290 billion. Volunteers help people into jobs and reduce social marginalisation. They help increase community participation. By helping people come together and work alongside each other, they help build a stronger and safer community.

I've gotten to know so many of my fantastic volunteers in my electorate. I've spoken here before about the men and women who've been nominated for my volunteer awards. They come from all walks of life and from many different backgrounds, but deep down they're the same—hardworking, selfless, giving up their free time to help others and never asking for recognition or reward. There are many amazing volunteers that I want to talk about today, but, in the interests of time, I want to single out Mrs Irene Edwards OAM from Manly West. Irene epitomises the very best qualities of a volunteer. She's done so much for the community over many years. She's been a volunteer, team leader, management committee member and historical officer at Wynnum & Manly District Meals on Wheels for over 30 years. In that time, she's helped countless elderly locals. She's provided them with good meals, and, better yet, with the love and support of a good friend. You couldn't find a more skilled or passionate fundraiser.

I've been working with Meals on Wheels to get their new kitchen and community centre up and running in Wakerley. Irene was a major driving force in raising over $1.5 million towards the new centre. She has also helped local veterans fundraising for the National Servicemen's Association of Australia, Brisbane East Branch, for over a decade.

Irene has touched the lives of so many in the Wynnum-Manly community. Her work has not gone unnoticed. She has received the Medal of Merit from the Lions Club of Moreton Bay, as well as the Paul Harris Fellowship Award from the Rotary Club of Wynnum and Manly for her volunteer work. In June, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC, Governor of Queensland, presented her with a medal of the Order of Australia for her services to the community. Unfortunately, she was too ill to attend Government House for the general presentation, so in a very touching and rare display the Governor actually paid her a home visit for a private investiture ceremony. Her husband, Ken, tells me it was a wonderful experience for them, their children and their grandchildren who attended. Irene was deeply humbled and proud to accept this high honour. Ken tells me that she still can't believe it. Well, I and many others in the community can, and we thank her for everything that she has done for us.

I'm so thankful for all the local volunteers. Bonner wouldn't be the same without you. You all deserve the highest praise for the incredible work that you do in our area. I encourage local groups in my electorate to apply for the Volunteer Grants 2018 round to support our amazing volunteers.

Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Jason Falinski (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion.

Andrew Leigh (Fenner, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was delighted after the last election to be appointed by Bill Shorten, the Leader of the Opposition, as the shadow minister for charities and not-for-profits. It's the first time that either major party has had a portfolio for charities and not-for-profits, reflecting Labor's strong belief in the charitable sector. I acknowledge the important work also being done by Senator Louise Pratt in her role of working with volunteers. It indicates very clearly Labor's strong support for our voluntary sector.

But that strong support for the voluntary sector hasn't been reciprocated by both sides of the House. We have seen two open letters—one to Prime Minister Abbott and another to Prime Minister Turnbull—from the charity sector, complaining about attacks on the charity sector. The most recent letter was signed by Volunteering Australia, Carers Australia, the Australian Conservation Foundation, the Community Council of Australia, Justice Connect, Philanthropy Australia and the Starlight Children's Foundation. The fact is the Liberals have brought charities together—against their retrograde policies. This government has had five ministers responsible for the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission: Kevin Andrews, Scott Morrison, Christian Porter, Michael McCormack and Michael Sukkar.

Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Fenner will refer to members by their correct titles.

Andrew Leigh (Fenner, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Deputy Speaker. And we saw a period from 2011 to 2016 in which the Liberals were trying to close down the charities commission. Being unable to get that legislation through the parliament, they have now backed off in trying to shut down the charities commission and instead have appointed as head of the charities commission, Gary Johns, a noted critic of charities, who has referred to Recognise as the 'officially sanctioned propaganda arm of the Australian government', who has said that Australia is 'sucking in the wrong type of immigrant' and who has described poor women in Australia as 'cash cows'. We have seen from this government the appointment of a charities commissioner in the hours after the marriage equality vote passed the parliament—not the moment you make the kind of announcement of which you are proud.

Under this government, we have just seen attack after attack on the charitable sector. The most recent has been the attempt by the Liberal government, under the guise of banning foreign political donations—a measure that Labor supports and which we have voluntarily implemented, unlike the Liberals—to wrap in charities to try to stop the important issue advocacy work of charities being funded by overseas donations. This would prevent, for example, anti-tuberculosis work and support by New Zealanders of a state based charity that has helped their children. Indeed, one charity was concerned that it might be necessary, before religious organisations pass around the collection plate, for churches to say, 'If you're not a citizen, don't put money in the plate.' That's what they were concerned about. So we've seen from this government much warm talk in public forums about the value of volunteering, but when it comes to action we've seen quite the opposite: these continued attacks on charities.

We have in Australia many worthy volunteers. In my role as shadow minister for charities and not-for-profits, I've been holding forums across the country. We've held 14 such forums now, with more than 1,200 charities, speaking with them about ideas that other charities and not-for-profits can learn from in order to build community. Labor is keen to work with Justice Connect on their Fix Fundraising campaign and to work with states and territories to reduce the paperwork burden on charities by having the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission serve as a one-stop shop, akin to an ASIC for charities. We want to work with the charitable sector, and we're keen to boost volunteering in Australia. According to the census, the volunteering rate's gone up a little, from 18 to 19 per cent from 2006 to 2016, but the General Social Survey tells us it's gone down from 34 to 31 per cent from 2006 to 2014. Either way, we're not seeing a massive upsurge in volunteering, which is what Labor would like to work on with a strong and constructive relationship with our charitable sector.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We've got many valuable assets on the Sunshine Coast: world-class beaches, our glorious hinterland, our cutting-edge healthcare facilities and our innovative businesses. But our most important asset is our people and the thousands of committed volunteers in Fisher who give up their time to make our community a better place for everyone.

One of these local assets is Kevin Stroud, who won the Fisher Senior of the Year award at my community awards in March. After arriving on the coast in 1976, Kevin has constantly been giving up his own time to help others. He's been the President of Met Cal Nippers, he's volunteered with Caloundra junior rugby league and he has been a member of the Sunshine Coast referees for 30 years. Since 2011, he's also found time to commit himself to TS Onslow Australian Navy Cadets, where he's been the president and a petty officer instructor, giving up his Wednesday night activities for training and his weekends for these young cadets.

Margaret Smythe, along with her husband David, is a cornerstone of the Caloundra community. Between them, the couple volunteer for 110 hours every week to manage the CCSA Hall. Margaret needs little prompting to speak passionately about the community events and meetings which collectively bring 900 visitors to the hall every week. Margaret and her team of volunteers prepare the hall for dancing, stage performances, community meetings, charity groups and much more. When she isn't moving chairs and tables, she's working on grant applications to improve this vital and much-loved facility with upgrades like the new curtains recently funded by the Turnbull government.

Ivon Northage is another of our valuable local volunteers. Ivon lives in the shadow of Mount Beerwah in the beautiful Glass House Mountains. Those iconic mountains have been an inspiration to him and, over 15 years of volunteering at the Glass House Mountains information centre, he has in turn been an inspiration to thousands of visitors to our region. Ivon works tirelessly to promote understanding and appreciation of our beautiful mountains locally and to draw more tourists to our region. He's constantly called upon to give presentations in local schools, government organisations and community groups and to train other volunteers. Last year, with the help of a $10,000 grant from the Turnbull government and together with Celebrate Glasshouse Country, he wrote and published a book, The National Heritage Listed Glasshouse Mountains. When I visited him this year, Ivon took me on a personal tour of the region he knows so well. After just a few hours, I had no doubt of the huge debt of gratitude our community owes him for the knowledge and the passion that he has instilled in both locals and tourists alike.

The government currently has three separate grants available to volunteers just like Kevin, Margaret and Ivon and the groups they represent. Just a moment ago, the member for Fenner talked about Labor, but that's all it was: talk. We walk the talk on this side of the House. Our Volunteer Grants program offers funding packages of between $1,000 and $5,000 for volunteer costs like fuel, training, fundraising and small-scale equipment. The Stronger Communities Program allocates $150,000 to the electorate of Fisher and every other electorate in this country for small grants between $2,500 to $20,000 to support the purchase of new equipment or new and upgraded facilities. Finally, the government has also launched a community sport infrastructure grant program offering funds of up to $500,000 to undertake projects which will build participation in physical activity. All of these grants are currently open, and interested groups in my electorate should contact my office as soon as possible to find out how to get involved.

These grant rounds are only the latest manifestation of the exceptional commitment demonstrated time and again by this Turnbull government to supporting community groups in Fisher. In the past two years, we've provided around $750,000 in smaller grants to volunteer-led community organisations in Fisher. Some have been substantial, like the $231,000 for upgrades to the Palmwoods Memorial Hall, but the Turnbull government has also recognised that sometimes it is the small-scale grants that can be the helping hand volunteers need to make a difference to people's lives. On this side of the House, we walk the talk when it comes to volunteers. Volunteers are the backbone of our community, and this government will back them to the hilt.

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm happy to speak in support of the motion by the member for Bonner. I'm particularly proud to speak in support of the volunteers from the 830 or so community groups scattered across the electorate of Moreton—some small, some large, all running on the sweat and love of volunteers. There is no doubt about the enormous contribution that our local volunteers make to our society. I'm very fortunate that I get to see their wonderful work everywhere I go.

I recently rolled out my Say G'day in May campaign in Moreton. The aim of the campaign was to introduce locals to community groups that are already up and running in the area. I walked around my electorate—more than 60 kilometres—visiting community groups, walking and talking with local individuals, and spreading the word about volunteering or joining the fantastic community groups that are servicing the south side and beyond. The campaign culminated in the community group showcase, where more than 30 community groups set up stalls with information about what they do, how to join them and how to volunteer so that locals had a face to meet, because often the first and most difficult part of joining a community group is walking through the door into the first meeting. The feedback was extremely positive, and it's likely to become a yearly event in Moreton—although who knows what we'll be doing in May next year—so I look forward to hooking people up with their community, making us a stronger and safer place.

What struck me most was how generous and caring most people are and that they're keen to get more involved, especially once they have been asked or given an opportunity to step forward. A big shout-out to just a few of my local community groups—from the Say G'day in May campaign, I particularly want to mention West Side Community Services, St David's Neighbourhood Centre, Cathay Community Association, Yeronga Community Plus, Braille House, Deaf Services Queensland and Cerebral Palsy League. These groups cannot operate without the immense contributions of their volunteers—ordinary locals who give up their time for the benefit of others.

Every year, in January, we in Moreton recognise the wonderful contribution of volunteers. We have a special ceremony, normally held around Australia Day, to recognise our wonderful volunteers. These awards are to celebrate the spirit of volunteerism in our local community. This year I handed out the 10th anniversary Moreton community service awards. Annually, one volunteer out of all the nominees is awarded the Sir James Killen Award—Sir James was a previous member for Moreton—for their outstanding contribution to volunteering in Moreton.

This year, Lady Bernice Killen, on behalf of her late husband, presented the Sir James Killen Award to Joan McGrath. Joan has been the treasurer of the Salisbury Moorooka St Vincent de Paul Conference. She has been the touchpoint for many locals from Moorooka, Rocklea, Annerley and Salisbury and beyond who are experiencing hardship. Her role involved coordinating the resources to maximise assistance with rent, utilities, food vouchers, school resources and much more for these locals who need a helping hand.

Joan McGrath's commitment to social justice and building community is also reflected in her work with the local refugee community. Again through St Vincent de Paul, Joan participated in local settlement services to provide support, advocacy and information to some of our newest Australians, helping to make them contributing members of society. Other volunteers obviously are doing similar work, but I wanted to particularly call out Joan McGrath. These other volunteers who are making the south side stronger and safer include Lisa Briggs, from the Sherwood Australian Breastfeeding Association; Brian Tovey, from Oxley Neighbourhood Watch; Phyllis Stockwell, from the Bethesda Caring Centre; Bill Elliott, from Yeronga Men's Shed and Annerley-Stephens History Group; Naomi Frampton and Paul Hodges, from Annerley Community Bookshop; Ruby Luder, from Yeronga Dutton Park RSL; Julie Segal, from the Kurilpa Scouts; the Reverend Heather Griffin for her work promoting community harmony; Mary Jane Lepre, from St David's Neighbourhood Centre; Colleen Williamson, from Omega International foodbank; Craig Schooth, the vice-president of Runcorn State School P? Lyn Cassar, the president of Kuraby Special School P? Leonie Hoey, from Lloyd Rees Park; Robin Blackson, from the Yeronga Anglican Church op shop; Ron Goeldner, from Yeronga Districts Residents Association, St Sebastian's P&F, Hyde Road kindy, the RSL, the local NHW and many more—well done Ron—Denis Peel, from the Annerley Stephens History Group; Jacquie Rogerson, from the Sunnybank Scout Group; Paul Rogerson and Michelle Flooder, from Scouts; Thomas Yuen and Rex Low, from the Australian Cantonese Association; Michelle Gadke, Michelle Langley-Taylor and Raina Davies, from Belong; Maria Hong, from the Australian Cantonese Association; and Willy Frommolt, from St David's Neighbourhood Centre. I could go on. There are many others I could mention, from the tuckshops, P&Cs and sporting clubs, and they should all be commended.

Julia Banks (Chisholm, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bonner for moving this most important motion on volunteering, and I join him in recognising the fantastic contributions that volunteers have made in Chisholm and across communities in Australia. Indeed, the volunteering spirit in our local community in Chisholm is outstanding, and it has been my great honour since becoming the federal member for Chisholm to meet all the amazing volunteers locally who give of their time to support our community. The energy, expertise and time our volunteers give in Chisholm support those who are most in need and represent what Australian communities are all about: giving a helping hand. From the mums and dads coaching and supporting sports teams to dedicated tutors welcoming migrants and refugees, from environmental conservationists to amateur historians, the thousands of volunteers across Chisholm embody the best of Aussie mateship by reducing social marginalisation and increasing community participation.

I'm delighted to be hosting the annual Chisholm Volunteer Awards again this Friday, where over 70 local volunteers will be celebrated for their hard work and volunteerism. I'll be presenting the awards again with the foreign minister, the Hon. Julie Bishop. The awards give us the opportunity to recognise, pay tribute to and warm-heartedly thank so many of the volunteers who dedicate their own time and commitment, sometimes on an individual basis and sometimes as part of a wider community group. The Chisholm Volunteer Awards recognise outstanding individuals who tirelessly give of their own time for the benefit of others. Indeed, all the awardees are so incredibly deserving of these awards, as they have been nominated by other members in the Chisholm community.

While volunteers give so much to our community, the awards give us the chance to give back to them and to recognise them. As was last year's ceremony, which the foreign minister also attended, this year's ceremony will be a testament to the contribution of all our Chisholm volunteers and the way the Turnbull government wishes to publicly recognise and reward the large contribution made by these volunteers. I'm immensely proud that in addition to the local initiatives recognising the wonderful spirit of volunteers across our communities the Turnbull government is ensuring that our local volunteer organisations in Chisholm will have support to continue their valuable work.

Volunteering is in the DNA of Australians, and I am proud to say that the Turnbull government's Volunteer Grants round of approximately $20 million has officially opened. I strongly encourage and will be working with all Chisholm volunteer organisations to apply for this wonderful funding support opportunity which works to build stronger and safer communities.

It is my greatest honour and privilege to meet with the numerous wonderful people in many volunteer groups across Chisholm, and to have witnessed firsthand the incredible gift of compassion and civic responsibility that Chisholm locals embody. There are hundreds of people across Chisholm who demonstrate the wonderful Aussie spirit of volunteerism, who show kindness and caring every day, and who work way above and beyond the call of duty and give of their own time selflessly. There are over 200 volunteers at Box Hill Hospital, and a similar number in the Uniting Church group, as well as the wonderful people at Crossway LifeCare, the folks at Ashwood College Permaculture Food Garden, the various Rotary and RSL groups in Chisholm, Sally and Tony Walker, the dynamic duo leading the Scotchman's Creek and Valley Reserve, Judith Clancy and the team from Neighbourhood Watch, and people such as Tom Thorpe and Ed Bright from the Wattle Park Heritage Group, who are maintaining a wonderful piece of local heritage in Australia's first Lone Pine, planted and grown and passionately maintained in Chisholm.

Communities like Chisholm are strengthened and enriched by the many passionate threads maintained and supported by volunteers. People who sacrifice their time for the betterment of our local community and people who, through the goodness of their character, give of their own time. I'm extremely proud to be their voice here in Chisholm. I've spent much of my time working with volunteers and supporting them in their wonderful work for the Australian community. I very much look forward to formally acknowledging a cross-section of individuals at this Friday's awards, the second annual Chisholm awards event, at which a congregation of all these amazing people will celebrate volunteerism in Chisholm.

Volunteerism is in the DNA of all Australians and is well represented in the people of Chisholm, and I'm very proud to be their voice here in Canberra. I very much look forward to acknowledging a cross-section of individuals this Friday. I commend this motion to the House.

Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I also commend this motion to the House. Celebrating our volunteers is one of the most important things local members can do in their communities. Having grown up in the community I represent, I know firsthand the value of those in our community who go the extra mile, and who take a personal passion and build from it to a shared passion that adds to the lives of our residents and the fabric of our community. In Lalor, we turn housing developments into communities, and we do that because we're building communities from the ground up. It requires an enormous amount of energy from our local residents to build those communities, and most of that work is done through volunteerism.

In my own history, I owe an enormous debt to such people. As a youngster I was involved in many sports, but one became my passion—no surprise to this chamber that that sport is netball. Through netball, I met and was influenced by some amazing women, who gave of themselves tirelessly and had an enormous impact on many lives. I think about them every year at our Lalor Heroes Volunteer Awards, and about the service they gave to our community through my lifetime. I think of Irene Cooney, of Jenny Toohey and of Wilma Ryan, from whom I learnt so much, not least of which was about service to the community. They led by leading us younger people on the court and at meetings, and they taught us how to serve our community as well. That has grown as the City of Wyndham and surrounds have grown.

In 2014 I initiated the Lalor Heroes Volunteer Awards and have been absolutely overwhelmed by the number of people that we have celebrated. It's designed to acknowledge their efforts. It's designed to celebrate the community that we are building together. Nominations for the Lalor heroes awards are open now, so I urge those at home to think about the people who they see working in their community and giving of themselves every week.

The 2017 Lalor Heroes were an extraordinary group. Margaret Campbell has given 50 years of volunteering in our community, and is celebrated as a Lalor Hero. In that time, she's been a board member for the Wyndham Community and Education Centre, and she's been involved in the Werribee community legal centre, the citizens advice bureau, the Werribee Red Cross, Meals on Wheels and the Werribee information network. She's been a campaigner for Aboriginal reconciliation and justice and she wrote a local history of Werribee, From There to Here. It's people like this that we are celebrating, who give every week to their communities.

Robert Bradley was another 2017 Lalor hero. He's a Wyndham honorary justice of the peace and heads up that group in our community. He's an executive member and roster coordinator for that, and he works tirelessly, purely for the benefit of others. Lisa Heinrichs, a very well-known local, is always volunteering. She is a member of Wyndham Heritage Recovery. She chaired the 'Not in Werribee South' campaign and is a community activist. She also conducts tours to historical sites in Wyndham. She's incredibly passionate about the local community, and she was another that we celebrated that night. Another was Miwako Okumura, who founded Eat my Garden. She's an organiser of the Echo Action Fun school holiday program. She believes in the potential of local communities and children and gives back to the environment and works with NatureWest to foster a happy and healthy community in Lalor.

Some of these people are from sporting groups, as I've said. Nathan Jenner was a Lalor hero last year for his work with the Tenpin Bowling Association of Victoria. He's a local tenpin bowling coach and he works extremely hard with the junior bowlers to support their growth. He's always there to help. Another person that we've celebrated in previous years is a bloke named Wally. He runs Carpet Bowls for All Abilities. I've visited this recently on two occasions over the break. I have never had a wider smile on my face than I did when I shared some time with this group of people and with Wally and his wife, Dot, who ensure this group meets twice a week. When we say 'all abilities', we've got a group of people gathering there, some lonely—maybe they've just lost their partner in their later years—some with a brain injury, some who have special needs. To see 70 people roll up, get the carpet rolled out and get the teams going—that is building the fabric of our community. I'd encourage all locals to think about the people they know and get their nominations in and I'd also encourage them to look at the community grants that are open right now.

Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the important work volunteers do in our community and Australia. I'd like to thank my friend and colleague the member for Bonner for bringing this motion to the House and also the member for Lalor, who was talking about the community grants. I think we, as members of parliament, all participate in that program to make sure community groups in our electorates get the maximum benefit from it.

Volunteering is something that's become ingrained in what it means to be an Australian. Our cultural identity is bound by mateship, loyalty and a fair go. Aussies are always more than willing to lend a helping hand as we strive to give back to our own communities. There are almost nine million volunteers across Australia. These volunteers are within our local sporting clubs, churches, schools and charities and provide ongoing support within our communities. These volunteers donate large amounts of their time, energy and sometimes even their own money, and do so often without thanks. Our volunteers are Australia's unsung heroes and so, on behalf of the House and my electorate of Swan, I want to take a quick moment to thank each of those almost nine million volunteers across Australia for their commitment to serve our communities. Our communities are richer and stronger for the work you do. Volunteers are at the heart of Australian society and are strongly supported by those on this side of the chamber as well as those opposite. Many of us would have spent time before we came to this place working as volunteers in community organisations. I spent five years with the local junior football club and then with Perth Football Club doing volunteer work with them.

We on this side believe that bigger governments can't provide what those on the ground can do. We believe the best kind of work is done at the grassroots level, where those closest to the coalface know what's best for them. Community spirit that's built from community volunteers is an enormous boon to this society, and I encourage anyone who's thinking about volunteering to be involved. By way of background, here are some statistics on our volunteers in Australia. In 2010, the volunteer rates for adults by age group were: 27 per cent for 18- to 24-year-olds, 30 per cent for 25- to 34-year-olds, 42 per cent for 35- to 44-year-olds, 44 per cent for 45- to 54-year-olds, 43 per cent for 55- to 64-year-olds and 31 per cent for those 65 and over. That equates to 36.2 per cent of Australia's adult population, 35 per cent of which are volunteering at least once a week and are prime examples of how committed Australians are to volunteering.

The hard work of our volunteers is fantastic. The impact of volunteering across Australia is estimated to produce an annual economic and social contribution of $290 billion. For context, this figure is almost double the Department of Social Services' 2018-19 budget. If it was to be fulfilled by the government, it would require an extra $11,600 in tax from every person in Australia just to match the contribution that our volunteers make to this great country of ours. The coalition government has allocated $20 million to support our volunteers across the country. In doing so, we acknowledge the hard work they continue to do day in and day out to support our communities.

As I'm sure is the case for most members in this chamber, volunteers are the heart and soul of the community in my electorate of Swan. I thank them all for making our community a wonderful place. There are hundreds of volunteer organisations that reside in my electorate that provide services to help support and improve the lives of many. There are sporting organisations like the Victoria Park Raiders Junior Football Club, whose many members put in more than 20 hours a week to support the club and ensure the players can make the games. On Saturday I attended the Perth Football Club pre-game lunch. Another prime example was the presentation to Keith Collins at the Perth Football Club, who received a magnificent trophy for 30 years of unpaid and unsung work at the Perth Football Club. He was then asked to do the raffle draw, and his humility stood out. To Keith Collins and all the volunteers in the community of Swan and around Australia, I congratulate you and encourage you to keep doing the fabulous work that we all appreciate that you do.

Anthony Byrne (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I just wanted to rise to support the motion by the member for Bonner, which recognises the amazing contribution that volunteers make to our community. They do that through organisations like sports clubs, charities and community organisations. On a bipartisan basis, I would like to welcome the Australian government's allocation of $20 million in funding to support volunteering. I would like to point out to people, particularly in my constituency, that volunteer grants are now open for community groups and organisations to apply for. The applications close on 18 September. The grants are between $1,000 and $5,000 and are available to help not-for-profit community organisations or groups to support their volunteers through practical measures such as the purchase of small equipment items, reimbursement for volunteers' fuel and transportation costs and contributions towards the cost of training and background screening checks. I would encourage all of the volunteers, particularly in my constituency, to apply for these grants. I know that the financial assistance will make a real difference.

In Holt, as we've heard in other presentations so far, we have many wonderful volunteers. In the constituency of Holt, each Australia Day we conduct the Holt Australia Day Awards to highlight the local unsung heroes who volunteer their time and who make a real difference in the community. One of the great volunteers who received one of the Holt Australia Day Awards this year was Aaron Grant. Aaron is a young man who has been a tireless volunteer on the committee for the Cranbourne Public Hall. Aaron can often be found working in the gardens or on jobs that need to be done, including painting the hall. Aaron also helps run the 'Casey Crime Page' on Facebook. He is the young man who helped start it up. It has 43,000 followers. He works full time, in addition to being a member of the blue light disco and Spirit of Cranbourne, whilst helping out unconditionally with many other community fundraisers.

Coming back to the Casey crime Facebook page, it really is a very good reference point. When things do happen in the south-eastern suburbs you can often obtain a lot of useful information by accessing that particular page. To have 43,000 followers, I think, says something about the credibility of that Facebook page. I would like to thank him in particular for the work that he does in maintaining that page and putting up up-to-date, accurate information for people that need it, because we have had some challenges in the south-east, particularly with some crime that's occurred down there.

Talking more about Aaron, he is a very generous young man. For example, during the significant fires in Carrum Downs over the summer period, Aaron purchased 1,200 icy poles and delivered them to the firefighters, volunteers, police and other emergency service workers. He also runs drives for the homeless and is currently involved in a drive for the Cranbourne Information and Support Service for the back-to-school program. In addition, Aaron has been the instigator of several GoFundMe pages to support community members who have had family members either critically injured or killed in accidents. I take the opportunity in this House to congratulate Aaron Grant for volunteering his precious time to so many local causes in Cranbourne.

About the Cranbourne area, I would also like to highlight the volunteer work of Lyn and Barry Leeds from the Cranbourne Information and Support Service. Lyn and Barry live at the Blue Hills Rise retirement village and they work with Sue Owen to raise funds. The money raised by Lyn and Barry is then used to supply new mums bags, homeless persons packs, Christmas gifts and vouchers for the back-to-school support program. Each year a good portion of the funds raised is used to purchase food and vouchers for large hampers to be given to families and individuals in need at Christmas time. This year over 40 hampers, weighing 12 kilos each, were distributed. Lyn and Barry assist Sue with the purchasing of the goods required, pack the bags and hampers, and help deliver them to CISS.

They are two very good people that help maintain essential services. I call them volunteers, the glue that helps bind our community together and keep our community together. They often do it in a very quintessentially Australian way: they are not looking for recognition. But I would like to recognise two groups of people in this place. I would like this House to note the service that they have given to their community.

John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you to my friend and colleague the member for Bonner for raising this important topic. I note the motion recognises the volunteers of Bonner, and while I'm sure they are a formidable bunch I find it hard to believe that they could compare with the incredibly enterprising and caring volunteers of Bennelong. Volunteering at its core is the belief in helping one another. It is a noble Australian tradition to volunteer by lending a hand to those in need, and every day I'm encouraged by the wonderful work done by the volunteers in my electorate of Bennelong.

Across our large and diverse community there are volunteers from all walks of life helping others in all manner of ways. Groups such as Rotary and the Lions Club routinely work in conjunction with government resources to extend their benefit to the community at large. Of the many organisations in my community, I would like to inform the House of a few particular ones that have done such good work of late.

Christian Community Aid is a local organisation focused on delivering vital services to the needy through their trained social workers and volunteer helpers. They provide numerous high-quality services. I would like to highlight their recent launch of the mobile play van, as part of their playground-in-the-park mobile playgroup program. The van will be able to provide structured play resources to aid in early childhood development and will develop skills such as literacy, numeracy, science, construction, art, craft, music, group activities and imaginative play. The van's mobility means it can reach families across the electorate.

CCA has a particular focus on engaging culturally and linguistically diverse families, which is very beneficial in Bennelong as we have a proud and strong multicultural community. CCA aims to have 50 per cent of playgroups targeting children and their grandparents of Chinese background, as evidence suggests these families face greater obstacles to accessing vital early-childhood learning resources. I would like to congratulate everyone at CCA—the incredible Heather Pinto and her team, and particularly Petrana Barac-Dunn—for organising the van's launch recently on 9 August. A great many members of our community, including representatives of Rotary and me, were present, and we were greatly impressed by CCA's efforts.

I would like to add that this project has only come about through generous grants from the federal government's Stronger Community Partnership grant program, which makes high-quality, valuable projects such as these viable. I look forward to seeing what other projects are successful through this program.

There are volunteers at all levels of our society making our community run smoothly and ensuring that everybody has access to the services and opportunities they need to thrive. Among the great groups that devote time and effort in return for nothing at all are the school P&Cs, which enrich the lives of our students and our schools. Locally they've been instrumental in facilitating other grants to enrich our schools. In particular, I would like to focus on two most recent successful recipients of the Armistice Centenary project grants. Epping Boys High School P&C Association have received a generous grant to establish a memorial garden on their school grounds for students to remember and pay tribute to the sacrifice of past students during the First World War. Additionally, Karonga School in Epping have also been successful in receiving a grant to construct a commemorative garden memorial and education program for their students to learn about the sacrifice that so many Australians made during the First World War.

Congratulations to these groups and, indeed, to all the thousands of volunteers who help the people of Bennelong. Many of you are silent toilers working forever in the background and never seeing the congratulations and thanks you deserve, so I would like to say thank you on behalf of all of us. Thank you for your tireless efforts to make our community a better place and to ensure everybody has a fair go and that nobody gets left behind. Volunteers are the best part of our society and deserve the highest praise this House can offer.

Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bonner for moving this motion, because it gives me an opportunity to acknowledge some extraordinary people in the community of Parramatta who give their time and their capacity to make a difference in the lives of others. In my electorate of Parramatta, 21,001 people over the age of 15 volunteered in the last 12 months. That's 14 per cent of people in that age group, or one in six, who did unpaid volunteer work for an organisation or group over a 12-month period. That's an extraordinary contribution. Bravo to all the people who made that contribution to our community. You make a very real difference. I can't name you all, but I will name some today.

Parramatta Mission, as most of us know, provides meals, accommodation and mental health services across Greater Western Sydney, with almost 500 staff and many, many volunteers delivering more than 70 services across the community. They provide assistance to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our communities to assist them in transforming their lives. Meals Plus is open for breakfast and lunch from Monday to Friday, and it provides over 35,000 meals to disadvantaged people each year. The wonderful Meals Plus is composed largely of volunteers, including Wilhelmina Goodridge, who is relatively new to Parramatta Mission. She's been volunteering in food preparation and serving for 18 months. Thank you, Wilhelmina.

The Stepping Stone program has a great volunteer, John Monk. It's a joint venture between Parramatta Baptist Church and Pathways Community Church. For over 20 years John has been the cornerstone person in the program, which provides a weekly food service for the homeless or marginalised in Parramatta—two decades of service to his community.

The Tamil Women's Development Group started in 2012. They are a group dedicated to working for Tamil women in Australia and northern Sri Lanka. Currently they're collaborating with the Cumberland Council on a domestic violence support program and advocacy for Tamil women. There are 10 incredible women volunteering with the Tamil Women's Development Group, including Viji Dhayanathan, a remarkable woman who I met the other day at their fundraiser doing great work for Tamil women.

Community Wheels provides transport services for those who are frail, older people, younger people with disabilities and their carers so they can live safely and comfortably in their own homes rather than in institutions such as nursing homes or hostels. I'm really honoured to mention just two of the volunteer bus helpers who assist clients to go shopping and attend social events. Joaquin Diaz and Robert Lavender are both well known to the clients of Community Wheels. Each of them has been volunteering for 11 years, an amazing contribution.

The Jesuit Refugee Service advocates for refugees, people seeking asylum and other forcibly displaced people in our country. Marthe Nalletamby volunteers for their Foodbank Program. She enjoys volunteering because it's an opportunity for her 'to pass that kindness on to those in our community who need it the most'. Marianne Dwyer enjoys volunteering for the Jesuit service because she likes to do 'something practical to support for people seeking asylum' and 'it is a privilege to welcome people to our local community'. They are just two of the many fabulous people that volunteer at Jesuit Refugee Service.

Evolve Housing is one of Australia's leading housing providers, managing over 3,400 social and affordable housing properties in New South Wales. Margaret has been a volunteer at Evolve Housing for more than seven years. Every Friday she calls the elderly who live alone to chat with them, providing much-needed social interaction and care, and she was awarded one of the Evolve volunteer awards recently and, as a prize, she was given a couple of days in a hotel in Circular Quay. It was the first time she had ever visited the city—she lives in Western Sydney—and she saw the Opera House for the first time, and she's well into her 70s. But she volunteers every Friday, and she has been doing it for seven years, to phone people who are alone. What an extraordinary woman she is.

At the War Widows' Guild, Rhondda Vanzella OAM, the state president, does incredible work. There are a huge array of people who drive widows around and organise social events—an incredible group of volunteers. One of my favourites, at the Merrylands Amateur Swimming Club, is Mrs Gladys Pye. She has been a member of the club since 1968, she is a life member and she has been volunteering as swim coach and administrator for 50 years—50 years—lending her capacity, what she knows, to people who, as we all know, need to learn to swim. What an extraordinary contribution—50 years with a club, giving her services.

Quickly, I also acknowledge Warren Gardiner, who has given 40 years of meritorious service to the ALP and was just granted life membership. We have volunteers across the range of activities in my community— (Time expired)

Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There being no further speakers, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the sitting.