$10.3 million boost for volunteering

Fifty Volunteer Resource Centres around Australia will benefit from $10.3 million in Australian Government funding to support a skilled, well-trained and well-resourced volunteer workforce.

Celebrating National Volunteer Week, the Minister for Community Services, Jenny Macklin, and Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector, Ursula Stephens, said this funding will provide support to the Volunteer Resource Centres over the next two years.

The funding will help enhance skills, training and resources in the volunteer sector and improve the capacity of the non-profit sector to deliver training to our volunteers.

National Volunteers Week is a chance for Australians to thank our volunteers for the significant contribution they make to this country.

They are the people who protect our homes when summer bushfires rage, deliver meals on wheels, raise money for local causes and organise local sports and youth groups.

They also play a pivotal role in linking volunteers with organisations and are a key part in the success of Australia’s voluntary sector.

This investment will enable Volunteer Resource Centres to expand their important work.

Nationally, more than five million people volunteer their time to a range of organisations.

Volunteering makes a significant contribution to the Australian economy and has an estimated value of around $42 billion annually.