Funding Volunteering
21 May 2002 at 1:05 pm
In celebration of Volunteers Week and as part of the Federal Budget, Community Services Minister Amanda Vanstone announced funding of $1.6 million over four years to Volunteering Australia (VA) to help expand volunteer placements for Australians Working Together (AWT) customers.
Vanstone agrees that volunteers are an essential part of the Australian community and took the funding announcement as an opportunity to reiterate the statistics.
There are over 4 million adult Australians who give up their time to make Australia an even better place to be.
She said this equates to a staggering 430 million hours of unpaid work each year- and the volunteers and the organisations behind them deserve all the support and recognition the Government can give them.
The funding announcement will enable Volunteering Australia to:
„X Double funding to 13 existing services in the Voluntary Work Initiative network;
„X Fund nine new services to deliver Voluntary Work Initiative services in regional and rural locations;
„X Fund two new regional service pilots, with up to three outlets each, in South Australia and Queensland;
„X Fund the implementation of change management strategies to position VA and its network to support community organisations in AWT; and
„X Contribute $86,000 to the inaugural funding of the Volunteer Trust being established by Volunteering Australia.
The funding is part of the $4.9 million over four years already provided through the Australians Working Together package to boost volunteer matching and help community organisations find more places.
Vanstone stressed that volunteering is a vital component of the AWT package. (See previous editions of Pro Bono Australia for AWT stories.)
Who will benefit:
New services
Goulburn Volunteer Resource Centre (NSW)
Volunteer Link Central West, Merrylands (NSW)
Ballarat Volunteer Resource Centre (VIC)
Mildura Volunteer Resource Centre (VIC)
Bendigo Volunteer Resource Centre (VIC)
South East Volunteer Resource Centre, Dandenong (VIC)
Glenorchy Volunteer Resource Centre (TAS)
Kalgoorlie Volunteer Resource Centre (WA)
Alice Springs (NT)
Existing services
Port Pirie (SA)
Whyalla (SA)
Port Augusta (SA)
Ipswich/Logan region (QLD)
Sunshine coast region (QLD)
Central Coast Volunteer Referral Agency, Niagara Park (NSW)
Lismore Volunteer and Referral Centre (NSW)
Port Macquarie Neighbourhood Centre (NSW)
Northern Beaches Neighbourhood Centre, Dee Why (NSW)
Volunteering Coffs Harbour (NSW)
Tweed Training and Enterprise, Murwillumbah (NSW)
Wagga Wagga Volunteer Centre (NSW)
Volunteering Gold Coast (QLD)
Shepparton Information and Resource Centre (VIC)
Centre for Continuing Education, Wangaratta (VIC)
Warrnambool Volunteer Resource Centre (VIC)
Centacare Family Services, Geraldton (WA)
Volunteer South West Bunbury (WA)
If you took part in the consultations with the Federal Government on this issue or you would like to voice your opinion why not have your say on our on-line Forum at probonoaustralia.com.au
