Earlier this month we were pleased to launch the Volunteering Resource Hub, an initiative of Volunteering Australia, funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services. It is vital for all of us to work together, share our collective knowledge and re-imagine how we can better support Australia’s diverse, dedicated and invaluable volunteers. This Resource Hub will be one step towards helping achieve that.

I continue to represent the volunteering sector as a member of the Charities Crisis Cabinet. I encourage you to complete the Charities Crisis Cabinet survey to support the push for meaningful reform to create a single national scheme for the regulation for charitable fundraising as recommended by the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements. Survey closes Friday 16 April.

The Volunteering Australia team are busy preparing for National Volunteer Week 2021. I look forward to celebrating for the first time in my role as Chief Executive Officer and invite you to join me as we RECOGNISE. RECONNECT. REIMAGINE.

Mark Pearce
Chief Executive Officer

Join Volunteering Australia as we acknowledge that it is time to RECOGNISE. RECONNECT. REIMAGINE. volunteering in Australia this National Volunteer Week (NVW).

Resources are available for everyone to use leading up to and during NVW. We encourage all volunteer involving organisations to proudly promote the upcoming celebrations and use the resources widely to help increase the awareness of the vital role volunteers play in our lives.

The Volunteering Australia shop is now open. Celebrate National Volunteer Week with high quality, volunteer-specific gifts while supporting our work advocating for the volunteering sector. 

Wave Your Appreciation for Volunteers

You are invited to put your hand up and thank the millions of volunteers around Australia with a special smile. The Wave Your Appreciation campaign is back to recognise the great work volunteers do each and every day.

How will you Wave Your Appreciation for Volunteers? National Volunteer Week is fast approaching, so get planning your special #waveforvolunteers. 

Join us as we RECOGNISE, celebrate and thank volunteers for the vital role they play in our lives this National Volunteer Week. Upload your wave photo to social media during National Volunteer Week and share using the hashtags #NVW2021 and #waveforvolunteers.

The findings of our 'Re-engaging Volunteers and COVID-19' survey have sparked a lot of interest over the past month. Volunteering Australia CEO Mark Pearce has met with many MPs, Senators and their advisors to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on volunteering and what support is needed to address the persistent volunteering decline.

Engagement and relationship-building is a key element of Volunteering Australia's Reinvigorating Volunteering Advocacy Campaign.

We are engaging with decision-makers and influencers inside and outside of government, to build an understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on volunteering and its role in Australia’s recovery.

Organisations must be nominated by their Federal Member of Parliament and meet eligibility criteria. Organisations interested in participating, should contact their local MP’s office for more information on the Expression of Interest process and timeframes for their electorate.

Volunteering Australia and the State and Territory volunteering peak bodies are providing advice and guidance to volunteers and volunteer involving organisations as the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve. We have been working closely with the Commonwealth and State/Territory governments to ensure that volunteers undertaking essential frontline work are included in the early stages (Phase 1b) of the roll-out.

The latest resources focus on COVID-19 Vaccinations, Infection Control and Being COVIDSafe:

• Information Sheet: Volunteers and the COVID-19 Vaccination Roll-out
• COVID-19 Position Paper No. 3: Volunteering vaccinations and being COVIDSafe

Volunteering Australia is urging the Commonwealth Government to ensure that information regarding volunteering is easily accessible on the federal Department of Health website and included in the COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility Checker.

There are a number of training options available to support the return of volunteers, as the sector works together to reinvigorate volunteering while living in a COVID-19 world. National training programs include the Infection Control Training Fund (ICTF) and the Job Trainer Fund.

The ICTF will fast‑track fee free (or low fee) infection control training to support the re-opening of customer‑facing businesses nationwide. Volunteers are eligible to receive training under the ICTF.

The JobTrainer Fund will increase access to free or low-fee training for young and unemployed Australians impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Eligible students can access courses including Cert III in Active Volunteering and Cert IV in Coordination of Volunteer Programs.

Contact your State and Territory volunteering peak body for further training opportunities in your region.

The new Volunteering Resource Hub was designed for the sector by the sector. A working group helped guide the design of the Volunteering Resource Hub, and over 20 volunteer management professionals tested its design, usability and functionality.

Since its launch over 2,500 users have accessed the national resource hub for volunteer managers and over 100 accounts have been created. The Volunteering Resource Hub includes over 350 resources to help volunteer managers, experienced or new, embrace the National Standards of Volunteer Involvement in their everyday practice.

Based on the number of downloads, the top 5 resources are:

• Communities Responding to Disasters: Planning for Spontaneous Volunteers
• Be Prepared: Managing Volunteers in Emergencies
• Best Practice Guidelines
• Corporate Policy Statement: Volunteers and Community Involvement
• Background Screening for Volunteers

On 30 June 2021, all current funding agreements under the Volunteer Management Activity (VMA) will cease. These funding agreements will not receive any form of extension, as the Commonwealth Government does not have the Constitutional authority to continue the program in its current form.

From 1 July 2021, the Department of Social Services (the department) will distribute $33.5 million, over five years, to the State and Territory volunteering peak bodies, through a closed non-competitive funding round, to administer the new VMA program. The Commonwealth Government can only continue to fund volunteer management if the VMA is redesigned to align with a head of power under the Australian Constitution, as described below. 

The Commonwealth Government will further invest a one off sum of up to $2.5 million in 2020-21 to develop and improve volunteer management IT infrastructure.

As the national peak body for volunteering, we work closely with our State and Territory peak counterparts to influence public policy and highlight its impact on Australia’s 6 million volunteers, and the organisations to which they offer their time.

Advocating for the role of volunteering in mental health

Volunteering Australia has urged the Select Committee on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention to recommend that the role of volunteering is made explicit and advanced as an integral part of the implementation strategies emerging from the various inquiries.

The Select Committee was established to consider a range of strategic reviews of the current mental health system, and whether the recommendations are fit for purpose in the context of the Summer 2019- 20 bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our Submission focused on the following issues:

• The three ways in which volunteering can support mental health and suicide prevention
• A critical gap in the Productivity Commission’s recommendations
• An opportunity in the Victorian Royal Commission’s ‘community collectives’ proposal

Advocating for the Aged Care Volunteer Workforce

Volunteers are vital to aged care services. Nurturing and investing in the volunteering workforce will help ensure older people get the care and support they need and deserve.

Volunteering Australia is actively advocating on behalf of volunteers involved in community and residential aged care. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has now reported and recommended better support for volunteers and highlighted that volunteers are “an integral part of the aged care system”.

In the coming months, Volunteering Australia will continue to advocate for volunteers engaged in aged care and their involvement in the reform process in light of the Royal Commission’s findings.

We welcome feedback, case studies or if you would like to find out more, please get in touch via policy@volunteeringaustralia.org.

Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability
No due date: Accepting submissions.

Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements
The report was tabled in Parliament on 30 October 2020. Government gave its response on 13 November 2020.

Productivity Commission Inquiry into Mental Health
The report was released publicly on 16 November 2020. Submitted feedback on the recommendations.

Senate Inquiry into Australian Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Public hearings been held. Submissions closed. First interim report published December 2020.

Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety
The final report was tabled in Parliament on 1 March 2021.

Senate Inquiry into Regional Australia
Public hearings been held. Submissions closed. Final report due 31 March 2021.

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State and Territory volunteering peak bodies

Volunteering is a proven pathway to participation and social connectedness and provides a wealth of opportunities, including contributing to the social fabric of our society.

Make volunteering a goal for 2021 and experience the benefits for yourself. Download the GoVolunteer App to search over 6,000 volunteering opportunities today.