16 May 2008
The Hon Peter Garrett AM
Federal Member for Kingsford Smith
Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts
Peter Garrett, the Member for Kingsford Smith, urged residents to join in celebrations during National Volunteer Week, 12 to 18 May.
The theme for this year’s National Volunteer Week is “volunteers change our world”.
“Every day, hard-working volunteers change our world. They are the glue that keeps our societies going,” Mr Garrett said.
Mr Garrett celebrated the contribution volunteers make to the community of Kingsford Smith when he visited to the Kooloora Community Centre in Malabar.
“More than 50 volunteers were trained this week to assist the work of Kooloora. From organising seniors bus trips to preparing morning tea for playgroups, from putting together the community newspaper to running special interest groups – volunteers are the backbone of Kooloora.
"Every year more than 16,000 Kingsford Smith people volunteer their time for the benefit of the community. As the hard work and willingness of volunteers at Kooloora shows, this is a great contribution to community life," Mr Garrett said.
Every year, Australians give up 8 million hours of their time to volunteer, and the top reason for volunteering is “wanting to help others or the community”.
“Research has found that volunteering has significant health benefits plus volunteers establish rewarding relationships and community connections.
“At the recent 2020 Summit, there was an overwhelming call to celebrate and promote our volunteers, and National Volunteer Week is a great way of doing this,” Mr Garrett said.
The Rudd Government is committed to supporting and sponsoring voluntary efforts, which is central to its Social Inclusion Agenda.
From 1 July, the Government’s revamped and improved Volunteer Grants Program will begin making funds available to another 6,000 organisations to help them support their volunteers.
“We want to make sure Australia fosters a nurturing and innovative environment for volunteer organisations,” Mr Garrett said.
“Volunteering gives all of us a chance to give something back, underpinning community wellbeing and fostering strong, inclusive communities.
“Congratulations to all of our volunteers, and keep up the important work of changing our world!”