Volunteering

Volunteering is a great way to contribute to your community. It provides a variety of benefits, including making new friends, sharing skills, getting job-ready and becoming a part of the local community.

Inquiry into volunteering in Queensland

Volunteering Queensland’s state of the sector report in 2024 showed that volunteering rates in Queensland have dropped 10% over the past 3 years.

The government has asked the Local Government, Small Business and Customer Service Committee (the Committee) to inquire into this finding and report on volunteering in Queensland.

The Inquiry into volunteering in Queensland (the Inquiry) started on 11 December 2024. It will examine:

• the current state of volunteering in Queensland
• the value volunteering contributes
• obstacles to volunteering,
• current government support for the sector
• opportunities for improvement.

Tell the Inquiry what you think

Public consultation is open. Make your written submission before 5pm Friday, 28 February 2025.

Your input is vital and we strongly encourage you and interested groups to make a submission.

Learn more about how to make a submission.

Next steps

The Committee will hold public hearings beginning March 2025.

The Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers will provide a written briefing to the Inquiry and attend a public briefing in February 2025.

The Committee’s report is due by 18 September 2025.

The government will provide a formal response to the Committee’s report within three months.

Volunteering opportunities

Volunteering Queensland provides information for many volunteering opportunities in Queensland. Visit their website to find volunteering opportunities or search their database by location or work/skill type.

You can also contact your nearest volunteer resource centre to find out about volunteering opportunities in your region:

• Far North Queensland Volunteers, phone (07) 4041 7400
• Volunteering Gold Coast, phone (07) 5526 0688
• Gympie Region Volunteer Centre, email to management@chsn.org.au
• Volunteering North Queensland, phone 0439 043 939
• Volunteering Redlands, phone (07) 3086 0000
• Volunteering Sunshine Coast, phone (07) 5443 8256

Volunteers do great things across a wide range of sectors. To get an idea of the broad range of programs in Queensland, check out the options below.

Community services

• Become a Justice of the Peace and act as an objective witness of official or legal documents.
• Volunteer with Homeless Connect, a one-day event linking homeless people with vital services.
• Community First Development volunteers assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in their communities by providing specific skills such as financial management, business development, IT and graphic design.
• Australian Youth Mentoring Network links mentors with mentoring programs that work with young people.
• Aged Care Volunteer Visitors Scheme is a national program that provides companionship to socially isolated people living in aged care homes.
• Care Army volunteers support volunteer involving organisations that deliver services to vulnerable community members.

Conservation

• Become a Volunteer for Parks to let your love of nature contribute to conserving our environment.
• Clean Up Australia Day to do your bit for the environment by cleaning up your local area with friends and family.
• Roma Street Parkland volunteers play an important role in maintaining the beautiful park gardens to world class standards.
• Discover opportunities to help our threatened species including volunteer projects that include helping to care and rehabilitate injured and sick marine animals and wildlife, koala management and monitoring flying foxes.
• Become a conservation volunteer to help with environmental and wildlife conservation projects.

Keeping the community safe

• Volunteer with the State Emergency Service (SES) to support Queensland communities before, during and after an emergency.
• Volunteer with Neighbourhood Watch Queensland, an informal group that meets to identify and address local issues.
• Work with police through Volunteers in Policing to address customer service, community safety and crime prevention needs in the community.
• Volunteer with Safer Schoolies and work alongside community organisations and government agencies keeping school leavers safe.

Online volunteering

Online volunteering allows you to make a difference from the comfort of your own home at a time that suits you. Some interesting opportunities include:

• United Nations Online Volunteering connects volunteers with organisations working for sustainable human development.
• State Library of Queensland Digital Volunteers assist the State Library to collect digitised photographs, newspapers and documents online.

Legal information for volunteers in Queensland

Workplace Health and Safety

• Volunteers and organisations that use the services of volunteers have obligations under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. Further information is available on the Workplace Health and Safety Queensland website or call 1300 362 128.

Safe Work Australia has developed a range of workplace health and safety resources for volunteers and organisations that engage volunteers.