Volunteering Australia Applauds 2020 Summit Initiative

21 April 2008 | Volunteering Australia

Volunteering Australia, the peak body in Australia for volunteering, has welcomed the discussion around the 2020 Summit idea that calls for students to be able to reduce their HECS debt by taking part in community service.

Volunteering Australia CEO, Cary Pedicini, said it's an interesting concept. "Volunteering is an important part of the Australian culture and continues to grow," Cary said. "Despite the fact that 34% of Australians do some voluntary work there are more than 10,000 voluntary positions unfilled on govolunteer.com so the need for volunteers continues to grow."

"The HECS debt idea is most exciting but comes with a cost that has to be considered. It is a concept that warrants serious investigation," Cary said. "We share the Prime Minister's interest in this proposal and look forward to working with the government to explore this project further. Volunteering Australia strongly supports endeavours to reward volunteers for their community service."

Cary also pointed out that the Australian volunteer culture was alive and well at the 2020 Summit. "It wasn't lost on us that all of the Summit participants and many of the organising staff volunteered their time to contribute to this collective think tank."

"Volunteering Australia applauds the Prime Minister's enthusiasm for volunteering and in particular agrees with Mr Rudd's comment that we need more volunteers in the community. Any initiative that encourages people to begin their volunteering at a younger age is to be commended and encouraged."