Volunteering Queensland’s recommendations for Communities 2032 state strategy and the 2023 – 2024 State Budget
In December 2022, the Queensland Government launched a whole-of-government strategy: Communities 2032. It contains many objectives and actions that rely on volunteers, as well as several measures that support volunteers in the state, including a commitment to a state volunteering strategy. You can read more about Communities 2032 here.
Volunteering Queensland welcomes Communities 2032 and the change towards connection, strength and resilience it describes. However, this change can only be achieved with the support of our state’s key change makers: volunteers. Volunteers and volunteer involving organisations need additional funding, resources and alignment with Queensland Government priorities.
Recommendations
We make several recommendations for the state government to support Queensland’s volunteers:
- Funding for volunteer involving organisations, including short-term grants and a long-term volunteer fund
- Design and implementation of a state volunteering strategy, fulfilling a state government commitment
- Improving resilience for communities by supporting and integrating volunteer efforts into activities that strengthen communities
- Improving resilience for individuals by supporting volunteer involving organisations to participate in social prescribing programs
- Support for governance and risk management within volunteering, including support for boards and volunteer insurance