Dear Premier,
RE: Keeping a Minister for Volunteers in Cabinet
On behalf of Volunteering Victoria, congratulations on your appointment as Premier of Victoria.
As you finalise Cabinet this weekend, we have one critical ask: retain a Minister with Volunteers in their title.
For Victoria’s 3.3 million volunteers, this role matters. Keeping volunteers named at ministerial level sends a clear signal that their contribution is recognised in the room where decisions are made.
Right now, the portfolio title Minister for Carers and Volunteers gives volunteering a visible place in government and a clear point of responsibility.
Volunteers are essential to every Victorian community. They strengthen health, sport, arts, culture, emergency services, education, and even politics. Every portfolio relies on it, and yet no one owns it. Those supporting volunteers across Victoria need one clear door to knock on.
Because the environment around volunteering is changing rapidly – competing for attention, meeting rising safety and inclusion standards, and ultimately doing more with less. This is not the moment to lose the momentum and goodwill of Victorians who give their time. Keeping volunteering named at ministerial level tells volunteers directly that they matter.
Volunteering Victoria’s door is always open. We are ready to share what and who we know, whenever it is useful to you or your Ministers, and to work with your Government to strengthen volunteering across the state.
Geoff Sharp
CEO, Volunteering Victoria
