​​​​​

Mr. President, I rise today to highlight the exceptional work of Volunteering Tasmania. As Tasmania’s peak body for volunteering, they are steadfast in their vision to realise an inclusive, thriving and celebrated culture of community participation across the state.

Through their policy, advocacy and research work, they contribute to the development of public policy, providing Tasmanian and Federal decision makers with evidence and industry experience to empower decisions that affect the volunteering industry.

Mr President, it gives me great pleasure to welcome representatives from Volunteering Tasmania to the Chamber today.

​

At 332,000 people, Tasmania’s volunteer workforce is the largest workforce in the state. It spans across sectors from aged care, disability and community services to emergency response, conservation, sport, health, tourism, events and arts. These sectors are all heavily dependent on the formal volunteer workforce; a workforce whose needs are often minimised in public policy; a critical workforce that is in decline.

Mr President, earlier this year, Volunteering Tasmania produced the 2023 State of Volunteering Research Report. Conducted every four years, this research reveals key trends in volunteering over time. It highlighted that in 2023, volunteers donated a staggering 89.4million hours to different causes and enabled $12.1 billion in social and economic benefits to the state.

​

However, Mr President whilst the research demonstrates that more Tasmanians are volunteering than ever before, it also confirmed what industry stakeholders already know; the formal volunteer workforce is declining, as the informal volunteer workforce is growing. This can be seen for example, in the withdrawal of formal volunteers from Government and Non-Government organisations engaged in the delivery of essential services, such as emergency food relief and suicide prevention, to increased informal volunteer-led activity in the community such as guerrilla gardening, co-ops, skills sharing and community childcare.

Mr President, 2019 modelling predicated that without significant, and strategic investment in industry infrastructure, there would a gap of 42% between the demand for, and supply of, formal volunteers by 2029.  This is particularly concerning when we consider the types of sectors and the level to which they rely on formal volunteers. For example, between 2022 and 2023, the Tasmanian Government employed 396 qualified ambulance officers and 384 volunteer ambulance operatives; the State Emergency Service employed 33 paid staff and 686 volunteer personnel; and volunteers accounted for 63% of charity staff.

There is a strong culture of volunteering in Tasmania Mr President, but as the barriers to formal volunteering continue to rise, Tasmanians are looking for less onerous ways to contribute to their communities. While volunteering is often associated with the provision of free labour, it does not happen for free. Instead, it is accompanied by significant costs, 80% of which are being absorbed directly by volunteers, limiting access to the benefits of volunteering to those who can afford the cost.

​

Mr President, in a political and economic environment that requires NGOs to do more with less, many organisations are struggling to keep the doors open. A lack of investment in industry infrastructure and inadequate funding agreements has seen some organisations outsource the cost of worker screening, training and service delivery to volunteers. For others it has meant forgoing volunteer insurance coverage.

Indeed, Mr President Volunteering Tasmania have responded to these concerns by advocating for the needs of their members through state investment in industry infrastructure such as volunteer management training, free volunteer worker screening and sustainable peak body funding.

​

Mr President, three months ago, I asked the Chamber, what happens when formal volunteers aren’t there? Who will replace them? And who will pay the cost? In 2023 alone, it would have cost the state $3.6 billion to replace the cost of volunteer labour.   That amounts to 70% of the $5.1billion spent on public sector wages in 2023.  So, I ask again, who will replace them, and who will pay the cost?

​

Mr President, whilst we rely on volunteers, we’re not entitled to them. The stability of the formal volunteer workforce is critical to achieving positive policy outcomes across portfolios and agencies. While we are fortunate to have considerable expertise within the state service, the future of volunteering relies on a reformed policy approach. An approach, Mr President, which centres volunteering as an all of government issue; that accounts for the distinct needs of the volunteer workforce; and that embeds volunteer-enabling infrastructure in public policy, to deliver safe, equitable and fair working conditions for volunteers and the community members they support.

​

Mr President, I thank Volunteering Tasmania for their ongoing work in advocating for the needs of this essential workforce and industry. Thank you for your commitment to our state, its people, and our future.

​