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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-05-19 Daily Xml
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National Volunteer Week

The Hon. T.T. NGO (17:31): I move:

That this council—

1. Recognises National Volunteer Week from 16 May 2022 to 22 May 2022;

2. Notes the theme for 2022 is 'Better Together';

3. Celebrates the essential work of volunteers, from education and care to emergency services and disaster recovery; and

4. Thanks the nearly one million volunteers across South Australia who give their time, skills and commitment for no reward but to make a better community.

I rise to speak on the motion that this council recognises National Volunteer Week and by doing so celebrates in this chamber the amazing and essential work of South Australian volunteers. National Volunteer Week this year began on Monday 16 May and runs until Sunday 22 May.

The launch of the celebrations began with a parade along King William Street, ending with a concert and lunch in Victoria Square. I participated in the parade, along with the Hon. Russell Wortley and the Hon. Laura Curran from this house. It was great to see so many organisations and such overwhelming support for South Australia's volunteers. I hope the celebration inspires more people to help their communities.

National Volunteer Week is a time to reflect on the dedication and commitment of South Australia's almost one million volunteers, aged between 15 and 84 years. It is estimated that this number equates to 1.73 million volunteer hours each week, with an estimated dollar value of $5 billion. However, the support volunteers provide to our communities is priceless. Without volunteers many South Australian organisations would struggle to deliver critical services to our communities. The wide-reaching and varied work they do keeps so many of our organisations running.

The theme for this year's volunteer week is 'Better Together'. Human beings are innately social beings. Whatever we do, it can be done better when we collaborate and share our skills, traditions and ideas. I am sure everyone in this chamber will agree that the work of volunteers absolutely enriches the lives of everyone. From the people and communities who may not have otherwise gotten the service or help they need without them, to the individual volunteers themselves who do what they do selflessly, making our world richer, better and kinder.

Our volunteers' generosity of spirit, their personal stories and cultures, their skills and expertise provide all sectors of our community with an enormous range of services and support. I want to recognise all those people who put their own lives on hold to offer help to others during a bushfire or flood; people, young and old, who put aside their own safety to help secure the safety of others on the frontlines of a natural disaster.

Whether you volunteer formally or informally, regularly or spontaneously, you are the people who keep communities together, help others in vulnerable positions and give far more than you get. Even a global pandemic did not stop our volunteers. Many continued to help hold people and communities together by continuing their work as we navigated through the many challenges to our lifestyles brought about by COVID.

However, based on research undertaken by the ANU, approximately 65 per cent of volunteers stopped volunteering between February and April 2020. Unfortunately, and not just because of the impacts of COVID, volunteer numbers are reducing. As society continues to change and as technology continues to impact how we work, live and communicate, more and more people have less time to volunteer. People today are also spending more of their free time engaging with technology in its varied forms, whereas past generations engaged in more hands-on activity, including volunteering.

When it comes to hands-on activity, I am reminded of the hundreds of volunteers who helped out in the recent state election and are now doing the same during the current federal election campaign, giving up their weekends and evenings to letterbox, distributing information so communities are informed about local issues, community forums and the election commitments of all political parties.

One of the most amazing and inspiring things about my political party, the Australian Labor Party, is its army of volunteers. They are steadfast and dedicated soldiers of voluntary hands-on activity, which never ceases to astound me. We are so lucky to have you, and on behalf of the Australian Labor Party I want to say that every one of you is an integral member of our team, especially during the state and federal campaigns. It is not simply a case of better together. The fact is we would be lost without you. I am sure all honourable members in this chamber, from all political parties, will share the same sentiment.

This week, we celebrate volunteers in all areas of society, people finding time in their busy, often frantic, lives to make a commitment to voluntary service. We have volunteers in education, health, state emergency services, our many cultural institutions and community organisations, and our local sporting and recreation clubs. Thank you for the diverse skill sets, knowledge and perspectives that you offer up to the community and ask for nothing in return. Whether you are a volunteer at a local sports club, at an op shop or aged-care facility, or on the frontline of a natural disaster, you are immensely valuable to this state.

Another valuable contribution of volunteers is the sharing of culturally diverse traditions and personal stories, which are often inspiring, heartbreaking, humbling or life changing for the recipients. It is this that makes Australia so rich, a wealth created by our volunteers, people from all walks of life and from all parts of the world who are creating a better place for all South Australians.

In closing, I also want to recognise the many volunteers whose work goes unnoticed, often because it happens behind closed doors in the homes of so many families: children taking care of their sick or elderly parents, older siblings giving up their free time to support their own families by looking after younger siblings, as well as all the mothers, fathers, guardians and grandparents who selflessly care for others, including members of their immediate and extended families.

The often-used expression 'it takes a village' captures the true spirit of what better together means for all of society. It is our volunteers who demonstrate that people can do amazing things when we pull together and work as a team. Without the distractions of personal ambitions and self-serving agendas, we can work better together.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. D.G.E. Hood.

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