WelCom September 2022
Community and charity groups in Australia are dealing with declining rates of volunteering. Reports compiled by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) show the number of volunteers has been falling steadily in recent years. It estimated there were 3.3 million volunteers in 2020, and the census found just over 2.9 million people had done voluntary work in 2021, or about 14 per cent of those who answered.
Charities Minister Andrew Leigh says the problem is broader than volunteerism. Australians are now less likely to be a member of a community organisation, go to religious services, be a union member, play a team sport, give blood, and don’t have as many friends or know as many neighbours as they used to.