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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-02-05 Daily Xml
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VOLUNTEERS

Ms PORTOLESI (Hartley) (15:09): My question is to the Minister for Volunteers. What is the government doing to address skills needs within the South Australian volunteer sector?

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (15:09): I thank the honourable member for Hartley for her question and acknowledge the critical role she plays in supporting volunteers in her electorate. This government, of course, is committed to its support for the South Australian volunteer sector. Early last year, the Premier launched the Corporates4Communities initiative which provides opportunities for community organisations to access the skills and knowledge they need to grow and prosper while giving the participating organisations and businesses the chance to engage in some philanthropic activity to boost the morale of all involved.

I am pleased now, at the beginning of this year, to update the house on this innovative strategy that links South Australian businesses and business professionals with the skills needs of community organisations. Under the excellent management of Heta Incorporated, this innovative program has so far matched 33 community organisations with nearly 2,000 professional volunteer hours for the benefit of community-based projects.

Considering that this initiative was launched less than a year ago, this is an amazing effort and a demonstration of community spirit. I would briefly like to describe some of these projects, and I know the house is very interested in these projects, so I will go into more detail than I otherwise might have for the benefit of the member for Mount Gambier as well.

From the outset, Heta Incorporated instituted an 'hour bank' arrangement, whereby business leaders commit a number of hours for their staff to volunteer during paid work time. Community organisations then have the opportunity to match their skills needs to those listed on the hour bank, and this gives them access to invaluable professional and semi-professional skills such as web design, governance and marketing. One such example was a project with Siblings Australia, an organisation that provides support for brothers and sisters of people with special needs. Siblings Australia worked with volunteer Paul Campese of Next Byte who donated his skills and 20 hours of his time to help develop their communication strategy.

Another example was STEPS Adelaide (Support Training Education and Parenting Skills), which teamed up with marketing consultant Wendy Davidson to assist in their business planning, development and marketing. A number of ongoing projects are also underway. Algo Más Marketing is assisting the Neurosurgical Research Foundation with its public relations needs. IBM is helping World Youth International with its website development and AME Recruitment is helping the Women's Housing Association to find a board member and undertake a study into a mechanism that can provide anonymous feedback on their service.

This program will ultimately help community organisations grow their services and extend their reach. It also gives businesses and their staff a way of demonstrating their generosity of spirit by giving back to their community and the people in need.

Mr Piccolo: I'm listening.

The Hon. P. CAICA: Thank you very much. I'm glad you are. I haven't finished yet. As the Minister for Volunteers and also as the minister for employment, I am very pleased to see our business community working closely with their staff to get behind such an initiative. As I said, the government is committed to supporting the volunteer community, and it understands that excellent collaborations such as these contribute to the building of a stronger South Australian community. Despite the fact that I doubt too many people seem to have listened here today—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P. CAICA: I said quite a few. I know you are. I know that our support of volunteers in this parliament does indeed get bipartisan support.

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