Page 1865 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 4 May 2011
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As Ms Porter said, this year we are celebrating 10 years of volunteers, and we should celebrate and recognise the role of volunteers. The ACT government is developing a set of principles, a volunteer statement, which will guide the government’s understanding and support of volunteering in the ACT. Whilst that is still very much in early stages of the development, some of the principles that may be included will focus on acknowledging and valuing the vital role of volunteers, acknowledging the role and processes of volunteering in promoting social inclusion, wellbeing and resilient communities by recognising, celebrating the contribution of volunteers, and noting how we can contribute to developing and enabling a dynamic, adaptable, flexible and innovative environment where volunteering is safe and supported.
Volunteering is supported in the ACT at a number of levels—an organisational level and a legislative level as well. With our working with vulnerable people checks we have already committed to have a fee waiver for volunteers who undertake this check. Because it is a card attached to the person, they will be able to transfer that and have that wherever they go in their volunteering activities.
I also welcome the part of Ms Porter’s motion that calls on this chamber and staff members to lead by example. I know we already do good work. I do not think there is any need, from what I have heard, to encourage members—and their family and friends—to commit to the volunteering time. Needless to say, staff in my office are volunteers, and they will turn their minds to what new endeavours they can do. Thank you to members. I commend Ms Porter’s motion and the spirit in which she has brought it forward.
Amendments negatived.
MS PORTER (Ginninderra) (6.43): I thank members for their contributions to this debate and their great reflections on their personal volunteering and other examples they are aware of. As has been said, Maureen Cane is the new CEO of Volunteering ACT. We are a very small community, and I think in some ways we go around in circles in that I was the first paid employee of Tuggeranong Community Service as part of the steering committee that formed that organisation. I helped form that service, which became Communities@Work, of which Maureen Cane was the director. She resigned from that position and has now taken up the position that I resigned from when I ran for this Assembly. As I say, we go around in circles.
Mr Coe: Is she going to run for Ginninderra?
MS PORTER: Well, maybe one day she may do that. But I think she lives in Tuggeranong, Mr Coe. I thank members for their contributions, as I said. Reflecting on Mr Doszpot’s amendments, I acknowledge that all of us in this place volunteer many, many, days each year—in fact, it is weeks each year. However, paragraph (2)(c) of my motion is just to acknowledge that we will show leadership and highlight what volunteering we do. We will do this, just as many organisations and corporations have volunteer teams volunteering together or encourage their staff to take a certain number of days off each year to volunteer. Of course the volunteering is of their choice and of course it is not compulsory in any way.
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