Volunteering

Currently 4.4 million people from around Australia volunteer a total of approximately 704.1 million hours throughout the year, generating $42 billion a year for the Australian economy. (Figures: ABS)

The 2001 Premier's Forum on Ageing, hosted by the NSW Government, explored the theme of older people and volunteering."In order to provide a context for discussions at the Forum on the subject of older people and volunteering, the NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care commissioned Heartbeat Trends to conduct qualitative research into the Forum theme.

"Given that the Department had already conducted two major pieces of research on this topic in recent times, the emphasis of this research is on how the role of volunteering is changing for older people, and in particular, how volunteering will fit into the lives of
Australia's latest ‘older' generation: the Baby Boomers approaching retirement." (Heartbeat Trend's Research into Older People & Volunteering Report )