Page 1137 - Week 03 - Thursday, 22 March 2012
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MS BURCH: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am not surprised that those opposite do not have any interest in volunteering work—
MR SPEAKER: Ms Burch, the question, thank you. Your side are talking as well, so let us just focus on the question.
MS BURCH: All Canberrans have contact with volunteering, whether as a volunteer or through organisations which involve volunteers in their work. I encourage everyone to nominate an outstanding volunteer so they can be recognised in National Volunteer Week from 14 to 20 May. Our Canberra community would not function without volunteers and that is why this Labor government is so committed to supporting and recognising them on an ongoing basis.
The ACT government supports volunteers through the peak body Volunteering ACT to promote participation in volunteering, including health, financial, personal development and social benefits for volunteers, through the SPICE program, which is an early intervention program for students aged 12 to 15 at risk of disconnecting from formal education, and through connections, which is a mentoring program that matches caring volunteers with a participant dealing with mild to moderate mental health issues.
We also fund Volunteering ACT to develop networks and to consult with stakeholders in the volunteering community across Canberra and the region to organise and deliver a range of relevant training options for community organisations. The nature of volunteering is changing with increased population mobility and time pressures, and volunteering is now more targeted than the traditional long-term regular commitment. To reflect these changing behaviours, the volunteering sector is undergoing some changes in the way it operates. I welcome the greater online presence of Volunteering ACT with a recent refresh of its website volunteeract.org.au, which has enhanced support for volunteers and participating organisations. This site makes matching volunteers with the appropriate volunteering opportunity much easier.
The ACT government supports the good work of Volunteering ACT and the CEO Maureen Cane for assisting volunteers in our community and we will continue to do so into the future.
MR SPEAKER: Ms Porter, a supplementary.
MS PORTER: Yes, Mr Speaker. Minister, could you inform the Assembly about the recent release of the ACT volunteering statement?
MS BURCH: One of the key ways that the ACT Labor government is supporting volunteers is through the ACT volunteering statement. This statement was launched in December last year in partnership with Volunteering ACT. The statement was developed with Volunteering ACT. It recognises the value of volunteers and represents a whole-of-government and a whole-of-community approach to supporting and recognising volunteers. The statement lays the foundation of this government’s vision of how to best recognise and support the vital role that volunteering plays in our community.
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