The Queensland Government has today announced it will establish a Parliamentary Inquiry into volunteering in the state.
Volunteering participation had fallen by more than 10% in the past three years, impacting many community organisations’ ability to deliver for Queenslanders and respond in times of emergency.
Minister for Volunteers, Ann Leahy said the Parliamentary Inquiry would be an important first step in providing more support for Queenslanders who wanted to volunteer.
“Volunteers make vital social and economic contributions to our state,” Minister Leahy said.
“I have been engaging with volunteers and volunteer organisations and they’re telling me there are a range of obstacles stopping people from volunteering.
“The Crisafulli Government is committed to removing those barriers and creating pathways to volunteering. This inquiry is the first step toward that.
“We want to make sure that anyone that has a passion to make a difference in their local community has every opportunity to become a volunteer.”
The inquiry, which will be established before the end of the year, will focus on the following five areas:
- Restrictions on volunteering caused by legislation and regulation.
- Current government support for the sector and opportunities for improvement.
- Barriers to volunteering for non-volunteers.
- Current restrictions adversely limiting active volunteers.
- Opportunities for diversification in the volunteer workforce.
Minister Leahy said the Committee would be tasked with delivering a report to the government by September 2025.
“Public contributions to this inquiry are vital and I encourage those groups and individuals with an interest to get involved when the inquiry opens,” she said.
“The experiences of volunteers on the frontline need to be heard so the barriers they face can be addressed and we can reverse the decline in volunteering numbers.”
