Office for Volunteering part of new statewide policy

The Queensland Government has acknowledged the changing face of volunteering in the state by adopting a new statewide policy designed to support and sustain volunteer activity.

Communities Minister Warren Pitt and Emergency Services Minister Pat Purcell officially launched the new policy today at a special breakfast forum in Brisbane to mark National Volunteer Week, which runs from 14–20 May.

Mr Pitt said the Queensland Government had approved the policy, Valuing Volunteers: The Queensland Government Policy on Volunteering 2007–2010, which represented the government’s ongoing commitment to Queensland’s volunteers.

He said the new policy included the creation of a new Office for Volunteering within the Department of Communities.

“The Office for Volunteering will oversee the implementation of our new policy and coordinate annual reporting on achievements,” Mr Pitt said.

“Volunteers make an enormous contribution to every aspect of society and community life in Queensland and this policy will ensure that volunteering continues to play a strong and vital role in Queensland.

“They deliver services critical to the state’s social and economic growth and contribute to safe, vital, well connected communities.”

Other actions outlined in the policy include:
• coordinating research on future volunteering patterns and developing flexible volunteering models to help organisations adapt to emerging trends
• developing a youth engagement strategy to attract and retain young people as volunteers
• working with the Commonwealth and other states to explore tax incentives to meet the costs associated with volunteering.

Mr Purcell said Queensland’s rapidly developing economy, demographic and workforce changes, rural population declines, technology and “pace of life” demands had affected the way volunteering was now performed.

“The new policy will support flexible responses to these changes and challenges through better coordination, relationship development, reporting and promotion of innovative models for volunteering,” he said.
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“The beneficial effects of volunteering are well known, both for the broader community and volunteers themselves.

“In Queensland, the total value of volunteering has been estimated at more than $16 billion in 2004. This represents the equivalent of an additional 387,000 jobs.”

The implementation of Valuing Volunteers will be led by the departments of Communities and Emergency Services,

Mr Pitt said public interest in volunteering had been significantly revitalised by recent events such as the Sydney Olympics in 2000, the International Year of Volunteers in 2001 and through community responses to natural disasters such as Cyclone Larry.

“After the International Year of Volunteers, the Queensland Government released its first volunteering policy entitled Engaging Queensland,” Mr Pitt said.

“We also provided substantial support to Volunteering Queensland through our Strengthening Volunteering initiatives, which were worth almost $750,000.

“However, rapid changes have occurred in recent years to the way Queenslanders volunteer, challenging us to rethink our strategies for attracting, recruiting, retaining, rewarding and protecting volunteers.

“With so many changes in society, it was time to reaffirm our commitment to the long-term sustainability of Queensland’s volunteer workforce by developing the new policy.

“Valuing Volunteers will position Queensland to obtain the best possible outcomes from the efforts of our volunteers and generate greater recognition of their achievements.”

Volunteering Queensland chief executive officer Di Morgan said volunteering generated enormous goodwill in Queensland’s communities.

“Every Queensland family benefits from the generosity of volunteers and volunteers, in turn, benefit from the contribution they make,” she said.

“We believe that communities are stronger when the government and non-government sectors work together to ensure that all Queenslanders can fully participate in community life.

“As the peak body representing volunteers in this state, Volunteering Queensland welcomes the government’s decision to adopt this new policy.”

Media contacts: Minister Pitt’s Office 3235 4280 or 0417 789 208; Minister Purcell’s Office 3247 8194 or 0409 620 571; Di Morgan 3002 7600 or 0419 668 344