May 13, 2013
National Volunteers Week was launched today to recognise the six million Australians who collectively contribute 730 million hours of unpaid work to their communities each year.
Federal Minister for Social Inclusion Mark Butler said the value of work carried out by volunteers was estimated to be worth $16 billion a year.
Collectively, volunteers operate more than 600,000 not-for-profit organisations which contribute $43 billion a year to the nation’s economy.
In Queensland, the Queensland Council of Social Service CEO Mark Henley said the State’s army of volunteers should be proud of themselves and their actions, which were helping to build more resilient communities for people from all walks of life and all backgrounds.
He also said that without volunteers, the community services sector would be “stretched beyond breaking point”.
“Community services volunteers assist people from so many different areas, such as housing and homelessness, mental health, disability, aged care, child protection and early childhood education, to name just a few,” he said.
“We owe our volunteers more than just a pat on the back; we owe them our sincerest gratitude and admiration for helping to build an inclusive, sustainable and equitable Queensland.”
This year Australians are being encouraged to participate in National Volunteers Week by sharing their stories of volunteering, or by hosting or attending an event to congratulate volunteers.
“It is so important that we as a community recognise a volunteer’s time as a real donation – one that is as valuable as money – as time is often the only resource many individuals have to offer,” Mr Hanley said.
“We know that the economic value of volunteering is equally matched by its social and cultural value, in that it creates positive and active links between organisations and individuals resulting in a stronger community fabric for all.
“And while our volunteers seem most visible during times of crisis – for example during Queensland’s recent spate of natural disasters – they are in fact there day in day out, freely giving up their time and energy.”
Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington said National Volunteer Week was a great opportunity to say thank you to every volunteer in our region.
“Volunteers add billions to the economy each year and they contribute to the strength and resilience of communities, but even more importantly, they make Queensland a better place to live,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“For example, in the area of community safety, state-wide there are more than 5900 SES volunteers, 35,000 Royal Fire Service volunteers and the Queensland Ambulance Service has approximately 1750 volunteers.
For more information about National Volunteer Week visit www.volunteeringqld.org.au
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[UPDATED: May 14, 2013]
