philanthropyOz Blog

National Strategy for Volunteering

More than 500 people attended the three day Volunteering Australia Conference from 3-5 September, which had the theme ‘Catching the new Wave’.

Senator Ursula Stephens addressed the conference, outlining the Federal Government’s priorities in enabling new waves of social innovation in Australia, through a National Strategy for Volunteering. Dr Stephens also announced $64,000 in new funding for GoVolunteer, Australia’s website for the placement of volunteers. The Rudd Government’s support for volunteering includes the three-year $64 million Volunteer Grants Program, which allows community organisations to reimburse their fuel costs and helps them pay for equipment.

The Government has also commissioned the Productivity Commission to construct a new tool to measure the contribution of the non-profit sector to communities and the economy, and is working with the States and Territories to address regulatory burdens on the sector.