Volunteering in Australia – How we can help
[May 2006 | The Centre for Volunteering]
Tasmanian Liberal Senator Guy Barnett has proposed several new plans in relation to volunteering as part of his paper Volunteering in Australia - How we can help which he prepared with the support and assistance of Volunteering Australia and Volunteering Tasmania in May 2006. Prime Minister John Howard has agreed to look at one plan which agrees to pay retired volunteers for their efforts and to give tax breaks to volunteers still in the workforce.
The back bench plan was formulated by Barnett and Australian MP Kym Richardson. Under this plan volunteers who are in unpaid employment will be entitled to personal tax rebates for out-of-pocket expenses acquired from volunteering. The plan also would consider giving elderly volunteers on limited incomes and pensioner's direct monetary return for their efforts.
The two have set up a task force that will investigate options to renumerate volunteers. The task force will be headed by Professor Myles McGregor-Lowandes and is to include representatives from Volunteering Australia. This taskforce and the two politicians have been endorsed by the backbench committee on family and community services. Senator Barnett is positive that the taskforce would garner results within three months.
Another proposal prepared by Senator Barnett is to encourage or provide incentives for corporate volunteering. The proposal says recent surveys, including one conducted by Volunteering Australia, show that employee or corporate volunteering continues to be a growing trend in Australia, with many companies dedicating internal resources to support the development and growth of employee volunteering programs that provide opportunities for their staff to volunteer.
Barnett calls out corporate Australia saying they can do more to help out not- for- profits and charities. Competition for volunteers' time and the ageing population can sometimes thin the pool of available volunteers. All businesses but especially big business can donate an employee's time – that is, one day per month – for a worthwhile charity. If this could be made part of the work practice of business it can be most effective.
Barnett also says Government should reward business with acknowledgement and recognition, and other incentives could be considered.
Read Volunteering in Australia – How we can help 
, prepared by Guy Barnett, Liberal Senator for Tasmania with the support and assistance of Volunteering Australia and Volunteering Tasmania.