The background paper was released late last year and details the basic tasks and structures for the development of a National Volunteering Strategy (the Strategy). A copy of the background paper can be accessed from the Social Inclusion website of the Federal Government.

Stated purposes (emphases) for the Strategy

To recognise the role of volunteering in

1. Social inclusion
2. Social cohesion
3. Active citizenship and community participation
4. Responding  to disadvantaged Australians and communities
5. Building community resilience in face of disaster and recovery
6. the economy

The proposed actions of the Strategy

Address key barriers to volunteering including

• Address the regulatory burden   by harmonising and coordinating  federal, state and territory  requirements
• Recognise the importance of volunteering
• “Provide an overarching framework within which all levels of government can plan and deliver support for volunteering in line with their own levels of responsibility and resources”, i.e. setting a coordinated framework for support
• Promote  jurisdictional alignments (presumably across Australia)

The Statement as to what government think is best way to support volunteering

The focus is on

• The issues in the House of Representatives Report 2008 on the value of volunteering- which recommends investment to assist volunteer organisations to respond to the changes that volunteering faces, and reducing regulatory burden
• Targeting resources more effectively, by aligning state and federal funding frameworks   to match “volunteer services and programs with identified community need, and to maximise outcomes”. The kinds of community need referred to is not spelt out.

Other issues raised in the background paper

1. Emerging trends and technology-  responding to demographic changes with new online  opportunities, corporate volunteering etc
2. Celebrating the  International Year of Volunteering in 2011- how to promote  maximise participation of stakeholders

The process of Strategy development – which stakeholders are named as key

• Policy Advisory Group set up to advise on development of the Strategy
• State and Federal government
• Volunteering  Australia
• Other peaks that represent specific issues/areas of volunteering-sport, recreation, arts and culture etc
• Volunteers and volunteer based organisations
• Corporate Australia

There is no specific mention of those state peaks not already on the Policy Advisory Group.

Matters Volunteering Victoria’s would like to see greater clarity on as we move forward

1. The phrase “in line with their own levels of responsibility and resources” in reference to state and federal investment, raises the issue of aligning funding to a specific framework.  An explicit framework is clearly a good thing, but will there be opportunities for stakeholders to comment on the framework during its development?
2. In terms of consultations with stakeholders for the Strategy’s development what are the proposed mechanisms?
3. Will consideration be given, within the process of framework development, to  a model that enhances volunteering’s capacity to drive community participation in a changing/ageing/growing Australia

In summary, the volunteering community needs to be a key driver of the development of the framework and the Strategy as a whole. Volunteering Victoria will make recommendations to the Federal Government to ensure this can happen.

Recommendations to government

1. Volunteering Victoria calls on the Federal Government to ensure there is a broad based consultation strategy.  Grass roots volunteering needs to have a formative role in the National Volunteering Strategy’s development.

2. Government should consider including in the Strategy the principles of volunteering, as articulated by the volunteer community. Government should consider asking for submissions from the volunteer community to identify these principles.

3. The volunteering community is working to identify the barriers it faces in responding to a changing environment, to develop solutions, and to ensure that volunteers are a key driver of volunteering. This work should be recognised in the process of developing a National Volunteering Strategy. We recommend that consultation with stakeholders focus on volunteer community generated solutions, to capture their innovation and their focus on the structural barriers to long term sustainability that volunteering faces

Volunteering Victoria asks for your feedback on these issues and particularly the recommendations. Send these to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , CEO or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Policy and Advocacy Officer.

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ENDS