Sue Boyce (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, my question is to the Minister for Community Services, Senator Scullion. Would the minister advise the Senate of the level of assistance that the Australian government provides to volunteers?

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Community Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to thank Senator Boyce for her question, and I note that it is her maiden question in this place. I am delighted that Senator Boyce would choose to ask a question about a very important aspect of my portfolio—that is, volunteering. Since Senator Boyce is from Queensland, I think it is also appropriate that I acknowledge the great distance that SES volunteers from Queensland have travelled to assist those people needing help in the Hunter Valley.

The Australian government also recognises the important role that volunteers play and the particular benefits they provide to local communities. We provide significant support through a number of programs, particularly in the area of financial assistance. In our recent budget, we increased to $81 million the total funding for the volunteer small equipment grants. That is over four years. In following years, up to $18 million will be available each year. That is an increase from last year, from $16 million, and the year before, from some $3 million, so it has shown a huge increase which reflects the demand for this excellent program. Over 7,200 organisations shared in the $16 million worth of grants last year.

We have extended the volunteer small equipment grants in sport scheme, which might be something the Leader of the Opposition is interested in. This component is to encourage sporting participation and better health, particularly involving young people. In previous years the volunteer small equipment grant supported groups through the purchase of equipment like barbecues, trailers, first-aid kits and sunshades, and that has been very useful. Most of those processes have been directed through volunteer resource centres. We provided another $4.8 million to the resource centres. These centres are intended to be a hub for some of the 6.3 million Australians who are wishing to volunteer. They can simply ring one of the resource centres in their area, which match a volunteer to a need.

A further $20 million will be available under a Local Answers round—that very important program—which closed on 25 May. That is on top of the $10 million Local Answers program we directed through the drought affected communities. Whilst the government has made a substantial injection of funding and assistance to volunteers, the real measure of volunteering is not really the financial support that we provide; it is what those individuals deliver to their communities.

Just before coming to question time I was speaking on the phone to both Peter Blackmore, the Mayor of Maitland, and John Clarence, the Mayor of Cessnock. The stories they tell me of how the volunteers have pulled together in the Hunter are incredible. The licensee of the Abermaine Hotel has basically opened his hotel up, put on free food and is accommodating people. He could not be found because he is out helping clean up a mate’s house. A number of people have simply turned up, in the great Australian way, to volunteer. ‘Give me a bucket and let me loose,’ was one of the quotes that the mayor gave me. We have had 2,500 SES volunteers travel from right around Australia—from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and the Australia Capital Territory—to lend a hand. I also acknowledge the Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul, the Red Cross, Anglicare and the other organisations for their tremendous assistance in this matter. Without the volunteers of Australia this would have been a very dark time for the Hunter Valley.