Last weekend I was honoured to officially open the Mildura Field Days at the start of National Volunteers Week and I encouraged Sunraysia residents to volunteer in their communities.  I commended the efforts of volunteers who sustain communities and develop meaningful connections through volunteering.  That’s why this year’s National Volunteers Week theme is ‘Connecting Communities’, celebrating those that volunteer at schools, in hospitals, in sports, in promoting the arts and of course in emergency services.  

I founded Zoe Support Australia in 2018 as a volunteer organisation to support young mums to re-engage their schooling.  Volunteers are the heart of Zoe Support. I am incredibly proud of their volunteers who keep serving young women, their children and our community.

In the post-pandemic digital age, it is more important than ever that we engage with families, neighbours, clubs, teams and communities.  I travelled through Mallee this week to Swan Hill, Maryborough and Horsham meeting with volunteers, including informal gatherings to thank those who volunteered for my successful federal re-election campaign.  My volunteers on polling booths in the final weeks of the election had generally positive conversations with those from other political perspectives. If volunteering scares you, remember political volunteers can get along with each other, so you’re bound to be pleasantly surprised where you put your hand up to help your local community.

In volunteer organisations I often come across an older generation who hope the next generation will continue the traditions they hold dear.  The 650 children who attended the Mildura Field Days are a positive sign for the future.

Volunteering has been severely undermined by cost-of-living pressures and the cost of doing business.  Many Mallee families and small businesses rely on two (or more!) incomes to pay the bills and financial struggles leaves very little time, energy or motivation to volunteer.

One thing that sucks the energy out of potential volunteers is governments that tax them to the hilt, adding to their financial pressures.  Volunteers are telling me this week they find it particularly galling that as Country Fire Authority volunteers, in the name of emergency services, the Allan Labor Government is hiking the taxes on their farmland – with little confidence they will see local spending for all the extra government revenue.

Governments also provide grants for volunteer groups, and I regularly share those opportunities with community organisations. Email anne.webster.mp@aph.gov.au if you’d like to be informed of future opportunities.