Page 3180 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 24 September 2014
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of their own time. It is, of course, rewarding for volunteers as well, and I think people know that. But invariably people’s starting motivation is to give something to the community and that is a fine thing to be doing. I thank all of the volunteers across the city for their contribution.MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella—Minister for Planning, Minister for Community Services, Minister for Workplace Safety and Industrial Relations, Minister for Children and Young People and Minister for Ageing) (6.21): I wish to thank Ms Porter for the motion and speak in support of it in regard to the importance of volunteering for the ACT community.
The principles that guide volunteering in the ACT are that volunteering is recognised, valuable, diverse and supported. These principles are still very relevant today. With these principles in mind I would like first to acknowledge and thank all volunteers for their service to the Canberra community. There are over 2,500 not-for-profit and community organisations in the ACT, most of which engage volunteers. They help people of all ages and abilities to be part of our community. This includes volunteering in sports, in schools, providing essential services to people in need and supporting people at risk.
I note that volunteering is not always visible and that much of the work is done behind the scenes. Our community is immensely richer because of the contribution of thousands of volunteers. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all Canberrans who engage in volunteering activity for the richness they bring to our community.
It is worth remembering that volunteering is a reciprocal relationship, with volunteers also gaining from the experience. It is important to acknowledge Volunteering ACT’s strategic role in coordinating opportunities for volunteers. They are constantly creative in how they do it, and I will mention two recent examples.
First, they have partnered with the Australian Institute of Project Management to link up certified project managers with not-for-profit organisations. It is called the skilled volunteering community network program and it provides the services of a project manager to the community organisation on a volunteer basis. Second, earlier this month Volunteering ACT was successful in securing commonwealth funding under the natural disaster resilience program to engage emergency volunteers and develop their volunteer management services.Most people would recognise that the government has a role in supporting volunteering. The ACT government does this in a number of ways, including funding Volunteering ACT. The ACT government also promotes volunteering through its public service enterprise bargaining agreements and providing opportunities for public servants to volunteer. In this regard I can report that in the previous two financial years the number of volunteer days for emergency services increased by 143 per cent while leave for other types of volunteering increased by 12 per cent. This is a great start and with greater awareness this will continue to improve.
It is worth noting that many Canberrans give their time to support public events and activities. The National Multicultural Festival and the Nara Candle Festival are among many public events that contribute to Canberra’s vibrancy. These events and activities
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