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General News

4 May, 2023

More council support "critical" as local volunteer numbers decline

Maryborough’s Volunteer Resource Centre (MVRC) is calling for greater support from council as local clubs and service groups reach a “crisis” point, with many facing the prospect of closure. In the past 10 years, volunteer numbers have...

By Riley Upton

Maryborough Volunteer Resource Centre members Jeff Hoober and Tony Macer go over council’s Volunteer Strategy and Action Plan, as the group call for additional support. Photo number: 050523 07
Maryborough Volunteer Resource Centre members Jeff Hoober and Tony Macer go over council’s Volunteer Strategy and Action Plan, as the group call for additional support. Photo number: 050523 07

Maryborough’s Volunteer Resource Centre (MVRC) is calling for greater support from council as local clubs and service groups reach a “crisis” point, with many facing the prospect of closure.

In the past 10 years, volunteer numbers have declined nationally — one in three people volunteered in 2010 but by 2020, less than one in four people were giving their time to a community group or event according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The participation rate for volunteers at a local level is lower again, with 16.3 percent of residents in the shire volunteering their time (2021 Census).

It’s the reason the volunteer resource centre was formed in 2020, itself led by volunteers, to promote the community-building practice of putting your hand up and getting involved.

“We’ve been on this project for a couple of years and it’s been hard work, but we have achieved good progress,” MVRC member Jeff Hoober said.

“We recognise we need support on this though, we don’t have the financial backing to employ someone and it’s becoming obvious that we do need someone on a more permanent basis to be working on this.

“We went to council and told them where things are at.

“We want council to take some leadership and show initiative on this because this community, and all communities, rely on volunteers.”

MVRC members met with councillors and council officers last month where they appealed to the organisation to explore further ways they could provide assistance, as well as presenting a collaborative model to oversee and support volunteering in the shire moving forward.

MVRC president Tony Macer said if volunteering in the shire did not receive support soon, the community would suffer.

“We are at a crisis point and every group we speak to in the community agrees,” he said.

“That’s in a national and global context — the statistics and research are there and it shows that volunteer numbers are dwindling significantly, especially regionally.

“If it’s not council that step in and do this, there is no one else that can do it in our view — it’s that critical of a situation.

“Volunteering is the fabric of the community and if you take that out, what are you left with? It’s about community building and connection and that’s what we risk losing.”

A majority of service groups and clubs in the community, some of which have reduced their events or closed altogether due to a lack of volunteers, agree the issue has reached crisis point.

Some local organisations such as the Carisbrook Red Cross have already closed, Avoca’s annual art exhibition fundraiser was cancelled last month because volunteers couldn’t be found, Dunolly’s local paper The Welcome Record is on the brink of closing, St John’s Ambulance in Maryborough is operating with six adult members and a long serving local service club were recently unable to run a barbecue for a community event for the first time in the club’s history.

“Our view is that if this isn’t council led, it’s beyond the scope of any other organisation,” Mr Macer said.

“We want to work with council, we want them to step up and take a leadership role on this.

“We know the Federal Government is aware of this issue and we’re hopeful something will happen in this space, but something needs to happen now.”

The MVRC is proposing a collaborative model, similar to the model used in dealing with climate action, with two council staff, two councillors and a representative group of residents to be at the head of developing and implementing support for volunteers.

Council’s general manager community wellbeing Emma Little attended the briefing by the MVRC and said council was aware of volunteering issues.

“Councillors were pleased to meet with the MVRC at a briefing session on April 18. They were very supportive of the great work the centre is doing and also very aware of the issues identified by members,” she said.

“We too are facing the same challenges every day, with the delivery of services and programs across council reliant on volunteers.

“In the 2021/22 financial year volunteers contributed 5350 hours to the delivery of community facing services such as Meals on Wheels, L2P, provision of visitor information, youth programs, art gallery programs, Energy Breakthrough and more.

“This, however, is set against a landscape of a 27 percent decline in volunteering rates in Central Goldfields since 2016.”

Ms Little said council was already supporting the MVRC and volunteering in the shire, but would look at further ways of doing so.

“Ways in which further support can be provided to MVRC will be included as part of councillors’ budget deliberations in the coming weeks,” she said.

“Current support includes the provision of a meeting space, the support of council’s events and volunteer development coordinator and a one-off community grant valued at $2400.

“Council also hosts an annual volunteer thank you event for all Central Goldfields volunteers, with this year’s event scheduled for May 15.

“These actions follow the adoption of the Central Goldfields Volunteer Strategy and Action Plan, which was developed in collaboration with MVRC in 2021.

“In December 2021, council also provided a grant of $8400 to MVRC for laptops, website and marketing materials — this was through the CASI Community Recovery Grant Program.”

Calls for greater support from council come ahead of National Volunteer Week later this month, with a local celebration to take place on Monday, May 15 from 5.30 pm at the Maryborough Golf Club.

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