I rise to address the Local Government, Small Business and Customer Service Committee’s report on the inquiry into volunteering in Queensland. Every member in this place no doubt knows the importance of local volunteer groups and the armies of selfless volunteers who help to make our communities such a wonderful place to live. I want to take this opportunity to offer my thanks to all of the hardworking volunteers across so many different groups in my electorate.
This inquiry was one of the earliest actions of the Crisafulli government after being elected and rightfully acknowledged the challenges that volunteer organisations face. The inquiry was driven by the real experience of Queenslanders on the ground, holding hearings across the state to engage with stakeholders to listen to what they want to see in the future for volunteers. The committee made eight recommendations to address the state of volunteering in Queensland and assist organisations with continuing to grow and operate within our communities. These recommendations include changes to Rural Fire Service Queensland to address cultural and organisational issues and removing barriers and improving onboarding processes for volunteers. Further recommendations proposed improvements to the volunteer experience within the State Emergency Service, including the support and recognition of the efforts of volunteers who are regularly on the front line of disaster response efforts in this state. It also recommended that relevant prior experience should be better recognised and that the accreditations SES volunteers can obtain are able to be transferred to other education outcomes.
Recommendation 6 called for the investigation of a dedicated volunteer passport to account for those superstar volunteers who are involved with a number of different groups and make portability between the organisations more accessible. This passport would also make recognition of this valuable volunteer experience in a professional or career setting easier.
The Crisafulli government’s tabled response to the report supported all recommendations in principle, which will be assisted with the establishment of a ministerial advisory panel. These recommendations and the changes that will be implemented are going to be fantastic for Capalaba ahead of the 2032 games as we display the best of our region to the rest of the world.
In my own electorate, I have been proud to spruik the hard work and achievements of local volunteer organisations, going along to celebrations of significant milestones like 50 years of Meals on Wheels Capalaba, but I also understand they are not operating without some serious challenges, including many that this report makes reference to. Local groups have consistently told me that volunteer recruitment and retention since the pandemic has been an uphill battle. They often have fear that at an upcoming AGM they will not be able to fill the executive positions and keep running their groups for the next year. These challenges often revolve around the requirements that take volunteers away from their actual work or act as a barrier to entry altogether, such as excessive regulatory burden as well as insurance and licensing costs. That is why it was especially great to see the committee’s recommendation to remove any excessive legislative or regulatory burdens and cooperate with the Local Government Association of Queensland to cut red tape on a council level too.
We know that volunteers are the heartbeat and backbone of a thriving community. I interact with countless groups across the Capalaba electorate and I am well acquainted with the challenges they face every single day. This report goes a long way to improve the conditions for volunteers, helping with recruitment, retention and aiding them to keep providing our state with the fantastic services that they do. I am pleased that the Crisafulli government is supporting the recommendations, leading from the front with a government-wide approach that will allow our volunteers to get on with the work they do best. I look forward to continuing to work closely with volunteer groups across the Capalaba electorate over the coming years and commend the report to the House.