The federal government launches an inquiry into plummeting rates of volunteering, charitable donations, and even friendship. Could a marketing rebrand be the answer?
The coverage resulted in public feedback about excessive 'red tape' making volunteering more difficult. Others pointed to mounting financial stress reducing people's willingness to donate time or money."The Productivity Commission showed us that in the decade to 2020 the share of Australians who were volunteer firefighters declined, which meant that when those awful summer bushfires hit we were ill-prepared," he said.
"Another example is Greening Australia's singles tree-planting event, which allows you to deal with deforestation and maybe also meet the love of your life," he said. Among the beneficiaries could be Sammy the Dragon, who every year 'wakes up' to open Shinju Matsuri, or Festival of the Pearl, in Broome.It takes a minimum of 14 volunteers to get the enormous Chinese dragon up onto his feet, which coordinator Jack Castellarin said had become a challenge.
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed the biggest reduction in volunteering had been in the 15 to 24-year-old age bracket.He said focus groups revealed how attitudes had changed. "I think younger generations are more interested in impact-based activities, where they can come together for a short period of time, deliver a lot of effort and maybe come back to it at a later date."