By Marina Gomide
The State Government has formally tabled its response to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Volunteering in Queensland last month, setting out a 10-year plan to arrest declining volunteer numbers and reduce the red tape and rising costs blamed for putting community organisations under strain.
The Government’s response was tabled in Parliament on December 18, three months after the Local Government, Small Business and Customer Service Committee handed down its ‘Inquiry into volunteering in Queensland report’.
The report found volunteering in Queensland contributed more than $117 billion annually in social and economic value but warned participation had fallen sharply, with around 200,000 fewer volunteers between 2020 and 2023.
More than 500 submissions and 15 public hearings highlighted excessive regulation, insurance costs, training burdens and cost-of-living pressures as key deterrents. Those concerns were echoed by community organisations across the Sunshine Coast hinterland, where community groups warned of an ageing volunteer base, rising out-of-pocket expenses and growing administrative burdens threatening their future viability.
The Maleny Show Society said people had “lost sight of what it truly means to volunteer your time,” warning that the increasing expectation of incentives blurred the line from the “true meaning of volunteering – which is to give your time for free”.
The Society also cautioned that, like many volunteer-based organisations, it was struggling to attract younger members, with its working committee largely aged between 60 and 89.
Woodfordia Inc, organisers of the Woodford Folk Festival, highlighted the financial pressures faced by volunteers. Post-festival surveys showed that “volunteers… raised the need to be provided with food or discounts to purchase food, showing the cost of feeding oneself as a barrier to volunteering”.
Volunteering Sunshine Coast described the current support framework as inadequate, stating that the current system of Volunteer Resource Centres in Queensland were “broken” and required a major rethink and rebuild”. The group warned it was “planning to cease operation by the end of this financial year because of insufficient funds”.
The State’s response supported all of the inquiry’s recommendations in principle and outlined 18 government-led initiatives, including three immediate actions and the development of a 10-year volunteering plan aimed at boosting participation ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Along with the 10-year plan, the response also announced the establishment of a Ministerial Advisory Panel and whole-of-government Volunteering Working Group, which will be designed in collaboration with sector stakeholders to define a strategic vision for volunteering in Queensland.
The Government will also provide a one-off funding boost to Queensland’s four existing regional Volunteer Resource Centres while longer-term viable models are considered.
CEO of Volunteering Queensland Jane Hedger said she was “pleased” to see the Government stepping up a comprehensive response to the Inquiry that recognised just how critical volunteers were to keep communities functioning and connected.
“These initiatives will help us to work through the existing barriers to volunteering and find new ways of responding to changing community needs,” she said.