Millions of volunteers across Australia are celebrating the annual National Volunteer Week this week, sharing their joy of contributing back to their own communities. The theme for the National Volunteer Week this year is 'Your Year to Volunteer', honouring the contributions of volunteers and calling for more to join volunteering.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Besides his day job as a management consultant, Gary Patni has been volunteering in Sydney in the past three decades, from helping out at multicultural community festivals to preserving environment at national parks.
As his parents moved from India to Australia for retirement, Mr Patni noticed that his mother experience loneliness, as she tried to find accompany with people at her age.
"We've got a practical problem here, that we in Australia for the elderly do not have a more economical option that also provides them social connections."
Inspired by his mother, Mr Patni launched a new initiative to help elderly people living alone become roommates.
Through social media and community networks, Mr Patni has set up several successful home-sharing arrangements.
This include pairing a widower in her 80s with a working nurse in her 60s.
"I do have other volunteers like myself willing to help make sure the home function as a home."
His program is now part of Australia's larger volunteer network being celebrated during the National Volunteer Week this week.
With the theme 'Your Year to Volunteer', the annual event encourages Australians to get involved in volunteering, by sharing stories of successful volunteer-run initiatives.
One of the largest volunteer groups in the country is the Rural Fire Service, with more than 70 000 members.
Scott Campbell is the president of the New South Wales Rural Fire Association.
"A lot of people think that we are still bushfire brigades but it's morphed into something much bigger than that. We're 24/7, 365 a year, we attend motor vehicle accidents, house fires, bushfires."
The numbers of volunteers in recent years have been on decline due to the ongoing cost of living crisis.
But it seems people are returning to volunteering again, as they find joy from the activity.
According to data from Volunteering Australia, in 2025, over nine million Australians contributed over 600 million hours annually in volunteer work.
In comparison, Australians contributed around 490 million hours annually in volunteer work in 2020.
Mark Pearce is the chief executive of Volunteering Australia.
"Despite all of the constraints, despite all of the things that will prevent us from volunteering and involving ourselves in the community, that volunteer numbers, the number of people volunteering, has been really robust, it's held up."
Mr Pearce encourages Australians to get involved.
"Go onto platforms such as Go Volunteer or Seek Volunteer, and you will find opportunities there, in your areas and within your areas of interest. Additionally, getting in touch with your state and territory volunteering peak bodies, give them a call, and they will be able to provide you with lots of opportunities and steps that you can take to get involved in ways that make sense to you."
