National Volunteer Week is a great opportunity to thank the thousands of Tasmanians who selflessly give their time for the sake of others.
To recognise the very important role of our volunteers the Liberal Government is for the first time providing core ongoing funding to Volunteering Tasmania, our state’s peak body for volunteers.
The upcoming State Budget will include $260,000 a year for Volunteering Tasmania, which will continue across the Forward Estimates.
Volunteering Tasmanian has been the lead support organisation for volunteers in Tasmania for two decades and has never received funding certainty or formal recognition.
This funding will enable Volunteering Tasmania to plan and grow volunteering into the future and build on its partnership with this Government. This partnership will focus on:
• Growing volunteering;
• Making it easier for organisations to recruit, up-skill and retain volunteers;
• Coordinate a rapid response in times of disaster or urgent need, like bushfires;
• Increase “volun-tourism”. In the past year 4,000 visitors travelled to our state to volunteer, we want to increase this; and
• Develop volunteering as a pathway to work experience and employment for young Tasmanians.
Tasmania has a proud reputation for giving selflessly, with four in five Tasmanians aged over 15 years volunteering in areas from our emergency services to the school canteen.
While it’s incredibly enriching for the individuals, the same can be said for our community too with the social, cultural and economic value estimated to be $4.9 billion in Tasmania.
This investment in volunteering is an investment in our whole community.
Will Hodgman, Premier
