Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have spoken on a number of occasions about volunteering and do so again tonight because volunteering is so important to our communities. Volunteers are the essence of what makes this country great. We have seen throughout our history the good-natured spirit of Australians and their will to make the local community better for everyone. Australia in many ways defines itself on the basis of a spirit of selflessness, and the world has come to know us for our willingness to always lend a hand.

In 2010 over 6.1 million Australians, 36 per cent of the population, did volunteer work. This is a huge proportion of our population and exemplifies the generous spirit that our country prides itself upon. We need to do all that we can in this place to foster this spirit and make the number of volunteers grow. Our volunteers provide assistance to many people through a wide range of community organisations such as Lions, Probus, Rotary, Toastmasters, Neighbourhood Watch, church groups, surf lifesaving clubs, sporting groups, volunteer fire brigades and many more. Without a group of dedicated volunteers, none of these organisations would exist.

On the Gold Coast alone, 15 per cent of residents reported that they had engaged in some form of voluntary work, and between 2006 and 2011 the number of volunteers on the Gold Coast increased by over 11,400. The hard work, the passion and enthusiasm shown by volunteers is what drives our community organisations, and we should all give thanks for the many long hours they give so willingly to get the job done. The lasting social and cultural benefits that the community volunteer organisations scattered across the country have provided are incalculable. The vibrant and diverse nation that we are part of today is testimony to these benefits. However, I believe that the economic benefits of community organisations and volunteers have been overlooked, and tonight I will briefly highlight the benefits provided by volunteers.

In 2006 it was calculated that the value of the unpaid work provided by Australian volunteers equated to roughly $14.6 billion. This reflects all the long hours worked by volunteers, who get no pay except for the satisfaction of having made a difference to their community. There are also a number of economically significant not-for-profit organisations, which contributed just under $43 billion to Australia's gross domestic product in 2006-07. This is also a wonderful result and shows how critical the not-for-profit sector is to our national economy. These numbers exemplify the high value of our volunteers and the not-for-profit sector. Without their hard work, there would be a variety of services which would go undone or otherwise incur a cost on the taxpayer: these services would have to be provided by government. I highlight one example of such services tonight.

Many in this place will know that, sometimes, established community groups find it hard to attract, train and retain members. In an effort to address this fact, Volunteering Gold Coast, a not-for-profit group, offers a range of services to its over 300 member organisations on the Gold Coast. These organisations provide services such as supporting volunteer management, education and training, referrals, recruitment and events and transport services. In addition, Volunteering Gold Coast currently provides over 3,500 volunteers to not-for-profit groups throughout the city and runs a fleet of 34 vehicles across the city to help provide those in need with a cheap and reliable method of transport so that they can get where they need to go.

I am proud to have an organisation such as Volunteering Gold Coast working within my electorate, and I note that it is the largest volunteer resource centre of its kind in Australia. If an organisation such as Volunteering Gold Coast did not provide the services it does, it would be left up to government to do so; or perhaps these services would fall by the wayside. The consequence would be that the organisations which Volunteering Gold Coast assists would be left without vital support and, possibly, would need to scale back their services themselves.

Volunteering Gold Coast is a prime example of how community groups benefit the wider community, and I hope that in all the deliberations of this House we remember the social, economic and cultural benefits of volunteers and community organisations and that we do what we can to foster the community spirit that has been a core part of our national character.