In amongst the big announceables and election slush funds, there are some grant programs that are what good grant programs should be: initiatives that sprinkle small amounts of money across people and organisations doing good in our community on a completely non-partisan and unbiased basis.
Probably the most well known of these is the volunteer grants – an annual allotment made to every federal electorate, where every electorate gets the same amount of money, spread out amongst at least a dozen organisations, each of which gets less than $5000 to some basic need to support their volunteer activity. Everyone from P&Cs to the local Lions, CWA, or sporting clubs can put their hand up for a few dollars that is a rounding error in the federal budget, but can make a massive difference to small, volunteer run organisations.
And, while the Canberra press corps were distracted by rushed legislation and banning 15 year olds from social media at the end of the parliamentary year, most completely missed that the Albanese Government has gutted these small but vital grants.
This year’s volunteer grants can only be used for two things by most volunteer organisations: to buy communication tools like phones and tablets, or pay for insurance. That’s it.
Organisations who have volunteer-run activities focused specifically and exclusively on children’s development can also claim specific items to support these activities.
But if you’re the local footy club in need of a new pie warmer, or a community garden that needs a pop up tent to provide some shade for your hard working volunteers, the volunteer grants are no longer available for you.
The Department of Social Services have defended the gutting of the grants, saying the grants are now targeted to two priority areas to align with the National Strategy for Volunteering 2023-33.
“This year, changes have been made to the Volunteer Grants program so it can better respond to the environment volunteer organisations face and drive the government’s commitment to children and young people,” a department spokesperson said.
“The changes will see Volunteer Grants fund two priority areas: children and young people and the cost of communication equipment or insurance items.
“This recognises that items and services that support online communication can reduce the administrative burden associated with many forms of volunteering; and purchasing insurance can be a barrier for volunteering organisations as sourcing suitable insurance can be costly and take additional time and effort.”
Volunteer organisations can apply for grants to pay for mobile phones, phone or internet bills, new software, laptops, tablets, electronic payment devices, videoconferencing or audio-visual equipment. Items the grants could previously be used for such as training, transport and fuel, publicising volunteer activities, or small equipment are no longer eligible (unless your organisation is related to children’s development).
It is a two step process to apply, first an expression of interest via your local federal member which needs to be done by early January, and then if invited, a more detailed application in February.
Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton said we are lucky to have so many hard-working volunteers who dedicate countless hours of their time to helping our communities.
“Whether it’s responding to emergencies with the State Emergency Service, volunteering with Meals on Wheels, or helping in the canteen at the junior football, our volunteers play an important role in our communities.
“The Volunteer Grants program was an initiative established by the former Coalition Government to support local volunteers, ensuring they can continue their valuable work in the community safely and appropriately.”
“Some major changes have been made to this year’s Volunteer Grants, so it is important to review the guidelines to check your eligibility,” Mr Coulton said.
Fiona Adams from Ladybug Projects, who provide a grant writing services that has assisted many New England organisations in accessing much needed funds, expressed concern about the ongoing impact of making funds harder to access.
“Funding programs are becoming more restrictive for volunteers to access funding, either through tightening of eligibility criteria or increasingly complex funding applications,” she said.
“Across the region, there’s hundreds of volunteer groups looking for funding. Many have seen their volunteer numbers plummet since the pandemic started.
“If these groups cannot access funding to keep their volunteers running and make their lives easier, we will lose more valuable volunteers.”
A passionate volunteer with multiple organisations in Inverell, Megan Gaukroger is also concerned about the increasingly tight restrictions that have directly affected her plans to apply for the volunteer grants.
“I was hoping to apply for these grants to support the growth of Migraine Australia’s activities in the New England, but we don’t want a tablet or a phone, and don’t need insurance – we need training and materials for our volunteers and a little advertising so people know we exist and when our events are being held.
“But we don’t meet the new criteria, so will need to go find the money elsewhere,” she said.
“I have used these volunteer grants before with my work for Lions and it is disappointing they are so restricted now.”
Member for New England Barnaby Joyce was asked for comment but his staff were unaware the grant eligibility criteria had been restricted.
Don’t miss any of the important stories from around the region. Subscribe to our email list.