Minister's Foreword
Every day, day in and day out, millions of Australians give their time, their enthusiasm and their hard work to help others. They turn up and roll up their sleeves everywhere – from the school canteen, the local footy club, Meals on Wheels and the list goes on.
They are the 5.2 million volunteers – that’s 34 per cent of all over-18s – whose grass roots efforts keep many community organisations ticking over.
This booklet, “Volunteering in Australia: changing patterns in voluntary work 1995 – 2006”, gives an insightful snapshot of the demographics of volunteering – the people who are most likely to take on a volunteering role and what they do.
It’s part of the Australian Government’s contribution to celebrate 2008 National Volunteer Week which, among other things, recognises and commends the 713 million hours volunteers put in every year.
The Australian Government hopes it will be a useful tool in encouraging even more Australians to give their time to support community organisations.
Jenny Macklin
Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs