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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-05-15 Daily Xml
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NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (15:05): My question is to the Minister for Volunteers. Will the minister inform us about National Volunteer Week?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (15:05): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. This week, we celebrate and thank our volunteers and recognise their contribution, which is vital to the health of communities right across our state.

Every day, volunteers provide care and support in our hospitals, they mentor young people, they coach sport, they help in school canteens, they fundraise, they protect our environment and they save our lives. The theme for this year's National Volunteer Week is Volunteers—Every One Counts. National Volunteer Week provides an opportunity for all communities across South Australia to recognise and thank volunteers for all that they do.

I have had the pleasure of meeting a great variety of people in organisations throughout the state who do some wonderful volunteering work. I am always impressed by their passion, their generosity and their dedication, and it is fitting that we celebrate and acknowledge their selfless and honourable dedication to the wellbeing of others.

There are a number of events to celebrate this week right across South Australia. To launch the week, volunteers marched from Torrens Parade Ground down King William Street for a sausage sizzle in Victoria Square. Local councils, such as Alexandrina Council, the District Council of Mount Barker and the Adelaide Hills Council are holding free volunteer movie days. A volunteers' tea party will be held by the Lyell McEwin Regional Volunteer service on Thursday 17 May. Zoos SA will also host an event to celebrate volunteering on that day, and Anglicare, I am told, will hold a luncheon on Friday to thank their volunteers. These are just a very few of the many events, spread out across the week, occurring across our whole state.

With more than 830,000 volunteers contributing 1.41 million hours per week, the state government will continue to promote and engage an active volunteering sector here in South Australia. Assistance and support, such as the Free Volunteer Training Grants program, will provide $80,000 to 27 organisations to deliver free training to volunteers in South Australia. Some other areas of support include Youth Volunteer Scholarship Awards, the Community Voices program, and the Volunteer Bonus Books program, to reward our volunteers for their selfless work for our community. I commend the many thousands of volunteers in our state who dedicate their time and effort to make our state a great place to live.

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