Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I wish to acknowledge the many volunteers in my electorate of Hindmarsh, in the western suburbs of Adelaide. As members know, National Volunteer Week is held in May of each year, and on the 17th of last month I hosted a ceremony to acknowledge and present awards within my electorate as I've done every year for many years. I was privileged to hand out awards to over 40 recipients, who were all nominated by their peers from the community.

Of course, the noun 'volunteer' is freely used in our society. One can volunteer for military service, for a redundancy from employment and for so many other, diverse things. However, these volunteers are those who give of themselves in an altruistic way without being asked and definitely without remuneration. It might be a sporting club, a church group, an RSL, a childcare centre or so many other settings. From my discussions with these wonderful Australians I learned just how important volunteering is to them. Many have said that it brings meaning and purpose to their life while also increasing their self-esteem, their wellbeing and their health. Some said it's also relieved their stress and helped alleviate symptoms of depression and isolation. I was also told that, in addition to having a positive impact on their community, volunteering improves personal relationships.

The economic benefit to society form volunteering is also often overlooked. Research from Flinders University back in 2012 and reconfirmed in follow-up studies in 2014 put the value of volunteering to the economy above that of the mining industry. These volunteers make our communities better places for all of s.

The year 2020 and the year 2021 have seen unique challenges for society as we know it, brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 restrictions hit the volunteer sector particularly hard. Research demonstrated that two out of three volunteers had to cease their volunteering between February and April last year because of restrictions. I know that in some organisations, like Meals on Wheels, the percentage was even higher. ABS data from 2019 uncovered a 20 per cent decrease in the number of hours volunteered in the community since 2014, even before the pandemic.

That's why Volunteering Australia believes we have a need for a reinvigorating volunteering action plan. The peak body is also calling for a whole-of-government national volunteering strategy to address this decline and to ensure key government funded services are sustainable. 2021 must be the year in which volunteering is better understood and acknowledged for its leading role in building and maintaining a stronger, more connected Australian community.

Once again, I put on record my profound appreciation of the individuals I met with last month.