Australian Parliament recognises volunteers

The Australian Senate yesterday unanimously passed a resolution, moved by the Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector, Senator Stephens, in recognition of the efforts of Australia’s 5.2 million volunteers.

Text of the resolution is below.

The Senate notes:

i. that this week, May 10 – 16, is National Volunteer Week, the largest celebration of volunteers and volunteerism in Australia;

ii. that one in four, or more than 5 millions Australians, volunteer in their communities;

iii. that Australian volunteers contribute more than 700 million hours of community service to many areas of society, including community health care, heritage and arts, environment conservation, emergency services, education, social justice and sports and international aid;

iv. their service contributes approximately $42 billion to our economy each year, with the community value of their efforts far exceeding dollar measurement;

v. that volunteering promotes active citizenship, builds connections and creates stronger communities, shaping Australia into a country in which we can be proud;

vi. as a nation we say “thank you” to our volunteers, and volunteering organisations, for their contribution to all facets of Australian life.

The Attorney General, Robert McClelland, also recorded a thank you video message to Australia’s emergency management volunteers.

For more information about National Volunteer Week.