Mercury (Hobart)

Charities copping it on all sides

A crash in volunteer hours compounds surging demand, writes Catryna Bilyk

- Catryna Bilyk is a Labor senator for Tasmania.

THE charities and not- forprofits sector in Australia makes up 8 per cent of the economy and 10 per cent of the workforce and has three million volunteers.

Last year alone, Tasmania received about $ 4 billion in benefit from volunteeri­ng.

Volunteeri­ng has been hit hard by COVID- 19 and the charities and not- for- profits that rely on volunteers will take a long time to recover.

During the pandemic, two in three volunteers stopped volunteeri­ng, leading to an estimated loss of 12.2 million volunteer hours in Australia. Many, particular­ly older Australian­s, are not returning, and recruiting new volunteers can be expensive and timeconsum­ing.

Despite the challenges, there ha been no new funding in this year’s federal budget to help overcome the devastatin­g impact of COVID- 19. There are no new initiative­s to help recruit and engage volunteers.

As part of its pre- budget submission, Volunteeri­ng Australia suggested initiative­s, including investing in volunteeri­ng support services and digital solutions as part of pre- employment programs.

Given the pandemic has led to a surge in video meetings and other online activity, training volunteers in digital skills could be a valuable way to engage them, and could be extended to charity staff as they look at what services they can deliver online.

The lack of take- up of this and other proposals by Volunteeri­ng Australia was understand­ably disappoint­ing for this struggling sector. Don’t be fooled by the $ 10 million the government has put aside for volunteer grants, that’s less than half the $ 21 million allocated when Labor began the program in 2010.

It is also less than half what the sector has asked for.

The lack of support has compounded the crisis already facing charities and not- forprofits. Charities are facing a perfect storm. Donations are forecast to fall by 7 per cent this year and a whopping 12 per cent next year.

At the same time, demand is skyrocketi­ng, and charities

DURING THE PANDEMIC, TWO IN THREE VOLUNTEERS STOPPED VOLUNTEERI­NG, LEADING TO AN ESTIMATED LOSS OF 12.2 MILLION VOLUNTEER HOURS

are expected to do more for less. Foodbank reported that demand was up 79 per cent.

In some ways the Morrison government is making life even more difficult. Demand is likely to grow further as the JobKeeper wage subsidy and the increased JobSeeker through the Coronaviru­s Supplement are withdrawn too soon. The stepdown is already seeing billions ripped out of the economy, including up to $ 60 million a fortnight from the Tasmanian economy.

One simple way the government could help is through charity fundraisin­g law reform.

I and Labor MP Andrew Leigh have been calling for two years for the government to come good on its promise and work with states and territorie­s to harmonise Australia’s outdated charity fundraisin­g laws.

When charities raise funds online, the red tape nightmare of having to comply with myriad state and territory laws and registrati­on schemes is like trying to sail while dragging an anchor.

The release of a discussion paper on reform of charity fundraisin­g laws by the NSW government is welcome, but progress on this issue is glacial in the absence of national leadership.

Support for the charities and not- for- profits sector, and to mobilise volunteers, will be crucial in supporting struggling families through the Morrison recession.

It is a recession that will be longer and deeper than necessary, as a result of the government’s decision to leave millions of Australian­s behind.

Unfortunat­ely, charities, not- for- profits and volunteers, are another casualty.

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