Volunteering in Australia

Volunteers reflect the breadth and diversity of Australian society and bring with them unique experiences from different backgrounds.

Volunteers work in all areas of the community and perform many different activities. They are in health and welfare, arts and culture, heritage, environment and conservation, sport and recreation, education, religion, human rights and emergency services. Volunteers visit the elderly for social contact, assist in the school canteen, coach sport teams, raise funds, participate in surf lifesaving and operate youth groups.

The voluntary sector played huge role during both the First and Second World Wars. Organizations such as @redcrossau engaged and organized large numbers of volunteers and Legacy was set up to assist men returned from the 1914-1918 war. In 1925 legacy started to care for the children deceased servicemen and continues to do so today.

There are now estimated 700,000 non-profit and community organizations in Australia and 5.2 million volunteers. Many of these bodies rely completely on their volunteers to operate. As well as bringing important social benefits, volunteers contribute an estimated $42 billion to the Australian economy.

With the further expansion of community organizations, 'peak bodies' formed as similar organizatoions merged to better coordinate services and avoid overlap. Today, Volunteering Australia is the national peak body representing volunteering organizations.

- “Volunteering in Australia: Changing patterns in voluntary work 1995-2006” – FaHCSIA Australian Government.

This year, the National Volunteer Network ALE implements the project "Participation of volunteer organizations in international dialogue platforms to promote Kazakhstan's interests at the global level" with the support of a grant from the Civil Initiatives Support Center.