Following the Federal Government’s decision to cut funding allocated to programs
and services that support volunteering, the national advocacy campaign to protect
this funding is about to ramp up.
Volunteering Tasmania chief executive Alison Lai recently met with representatives
of the Department of Social Services in Canberra to discuss their new Strong and
Resilient Communities funding program, raising concerns regarding the abolition of
the funding stream for volunteer management.
“The Department has assured me that whilst the dedicated stream of funding
that previously supported volunteer management programs and services has
been removed, the organisations that provide these services will remain eligible
to compete for funding under the new program,” Alison said.
“Whilst this news seems positive, the reality remains that there will no longer be
any direct investment from the Federal Government into supporting
organisations that depend on volunteers.
“Organisations that were previously funded to provide volunteer management
programs and services will now have to compete against other worthwhile
community groups from a pool of funds that make no mention of the importance
of volunteers in our communities.
“It is very concerning that the volunteer management stream was considered
appropriate to abolish in the first place.
“As a result, I have grave concerns about the ability of organisations across the
nation, like Volunteering Tasmania, to secure funding to support volunteering in
our communities.”
Alison said that Volunteering Tasmania will continue to advocate alongside its
national counterparts, led by Volunteering Australia, to ensure that the value of
investing in volunteering is not overlooked by the Federal Government.
“It remains imperative that we advocate on behalf of the importance of the
programs and services that support volunteering in our State,” Alison
continued.
“Volunteering in Tasmania is a multi-billion dollar industry, with the volunteer
contribution estimated at $4.9 billion each year.
“With national volunteering rates declining, the Federal Government cannot
overlook the importance of investing in establishing sustainable, best practice
volunteer management services.
“Even a small decline in volunteering rates in Tasmania would have a
significant impact, not only on the delivery of community services, but on all
aspects of community life.”
The next meeting of state and territory volunteering peak bodies will be in Melbourne
on Monday, 20 March.
Alison Lai, Volunteering Tasmania CEO
