New partnership to boost community broadcasting volunteering

The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) and Volunteering Australia have partnered to promote the integral role of volunteering in community broadcasting.

Key among the partnership’s goals is creating a more supportive environment for volunteers and ensuring that their contributions are recognised and celebrated by corporate, philanthropic and government bodies.

Jon Bisset, the CEO of the CBAA, said, "We are delighted to have partnered with Volunteering Australia to bolster volunteering in the community.

“Volunteers are the lifeblood of community broadcasting. The workforce for community broadcasting consists of over 18,500 volunteers and 833 employees.

“Without these volunteers the valuable social impact of our sector – providing local news and information, celebrating local music and arts, supporting social inclusion and a voice for of Australia’s diverse communities and marginalised groups – little of it would exist.”

Australian volunteer numbers fell significantly following the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, with formal volunteers declining from 36% of the population in 2019 to 26.7% in 2022. While the number of community broadcasting volunteers also fell during this period the decline was not as pronounced.

With this challenge in mind, the two organisations will also work together to help the CBAA sustainably grow and manage the community broadcasting sector’s volunteering workforce.

In turn they will also cooperate to build upon Volunteering Australia’s advocacy efforts for better resourcing and more effective policy for volunteering in Australia.

The CEO of Volunteering Australia Mark Pearce said, “Volunteering Australia’s partnership with CBAA acknowledges that volunteers are essential to community broadcasting. Volunteering Australia and the CBAA agree that the Commonwealth needs to adopt a whole-of-government approach to volunteering that recognises the important role volunteers play in supporting Australian communities.”

The goals of the partnership echo those of the National Strategy for Volunteering 2023 – 2033, which identified the need to improve the volunteer experience and the public’s perception of volunteering.

Contact:  Joshua Cole, CBAA’s Digital Marketing and Communications Coordinator on 0407 706 270 or email [email protected]

About Volunteering Australia

Volunteering Australia is the national peak body for volunteering, working to advance volunteering in the Australian community. Volunteering Australia’s vision is to help develop a stronger, more connected and resilient Australian community through volunteering, and its mission is to lead, strengthen, and celebrate volunteering in Australia.