The Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHHS) Victorian Volunteer Strategy has released the first ever report on volunteering in Victoria, finding that 40 per cent of the community over the age of 15 are contributing time and energy to support their State.
Parliamentary Secretary for Carers and Volunteers, Anthony Carbines said the report, State of Volunteering in Victoria 2020, estimated that volunteering contributed $58.1 billion worth of economic value in 2019.
“The new report will underpin the Victorian Government’s first volunteering strategy, which will guide future investment to support volunteering activities across the State,” Mr Carbines said.
“Developed in partnership with Volunteering Victoria, the report highlights the many economic, social and cultural benefits being delivered across the State by 2.3 million Victorian volunteers,” he said.
”This support includes a diverse range of activities, from helping community members with their weekly shopping, improving our environment, tutoring school students to working with our emergency services.”
Mr Carbines said the report found that social connection was the number one reason people volunteered.
In its report, DHHS said findings on the hidden costs of volunteering should guide the Government and volunteer-involving organisations (VIOs) to reduce the financial burden placed on volunteers, which had the potential to exclude many who could not afford the act of volunteering.
“The volunteering sector is over one and a half times larger than the Victorian government sector and nearly half the size of the private sector,” the Department said.
“As phenomenal as this contribution is, it is also costing Victorian volunteers on average over $1,700 a year to volunteer,” it said.
The Department’s 93-page report can be accessed at this PS News link.
