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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-02-20 Daily Xml
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Volunteers

The Hon. J.S. LEE (14:30): My question is to the Minister for Human Services about her volunteer portfolio, which is a very important portfolio. Can the minister please provide an update to the council about the 2020 Premier's Certificate of Recognition for Outstanding Volunteer Service, the SA Volunteer Awards and the upcoming Volunteers Day Thank You event and awards ceremony?

The PRESIDENT: I call the minister, but before the minister starts, is it correct that there is a birthday today that we should be acknowledging? Happy birthday!

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (14:31): Thank you, Mr President. I thank the members of the opposition for all the questions they have asked me this week. I wish it was my turn again today. I thank the honourable member for her question and I would like to acknowledge the fantastic work that she does, particularly with so many of our multicultural communities, and also to acknowledge the amazing efforts that so many of our multicultural communities undertook in terms of raising funds for the victims and volunteers who have been assisting people throughout the bushfire recovery phase.

I also acknowledge all of the volunteers who have had roles in South Australia during what has been a difficult summer, whether it be the CFS, SES, Red Cross, St Vincent de Paul—a whole range of organisations—and Foodbank, who have been assisting in their own individual ways to make things better for their fellow South Australians.

The Premier's Certificate of Recognition for Outstanding Volunteer Service has now opened for nominations, and I trust that all honourable members will have received some information inviting them to nominate people. The volunteer recognition is a valuable acknowledgement of the accomplishments and efforts of our volunteers. It is an important way to keep volunteers involved, committed and active and to promote volunteering in the South Australian community. The Certificate of Recognition from the Premier for Outstanding Volunteer Service program has been developed to provide volunteer-involving organisations and community groups with an opportunity to recognise volunteers for their excellence and significant achievements.

Organisations and community groups submit a short written online nomination which is available on the website of the Department of Human Services. The department then convenes a panel to assess each nomination against prescribed selection criteria, and organisations can submit a nomination for one or more of their volunteers. The criteria include: someone who has made significant contribution to the community and/or organisation, provided ongoing commitment and dedication to volunteering, demonstrated leadership in their volunteer role, or promoted volunteerism within the community.

We have also opened the nominations for the Volunteer Awards which are awarded every year on the Queen's Birthday long weekend when we have a significant Volunteer Thank You event. The awards include:

the Joy Noble Medal, which is South Australia's highest distinction for recognising the outstanding efforts of an individual volunteer within the state;

the Premier's Business Award for Corporate Social Responsibility, which recognises the business sector for contributing through its support for volunteering, and in 2020 this award has been extended to include recognition of employers who release their employees to volunteer in the community, and, clearly, we have had a significant amount of them for the bushfire season;

the Andamooka Community Project Award, which recognises innovative community projects; and

this year, in recognition of the dedication and commitment of volunteer managers across South Australia, DHS, in partnership with Volunteering SA and NT, will introduce a new award category, which is the Excellence in Volunteer Management Award to recognise and celebrate the tireless efforts of volunteer managers who support and facilitate the engagement of volunteers across the state.

I look forward to the large number of nominations that are received, particularly to the special event that we hold, which is always very well subscribed. I am sure there will be members of this house and the other who will attend to help us celebrate the fantastic efforts of volunteers in South Australia.

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