The following residents of the ACT draw the attention of the Assembly to the negative impacts that the Government's proposal to charge volunteers $11 for Working With Vulnerable People cards will have on volunteers and civil society groups.
Volunteering rates are far too low in Canberra and only declining. In order to volunteer for many community groups such as sports clubs and many charities, it is necessary to obtain a WWVP card, which volunteers can currently do for free. But Canberrans who generously give their time to these institutions will be slugged with a new $11 fee unless the Government changes course. Deficit reduction is important, but it's also important to raise revenue in a way that doesn't hurt the poorest in society, who generously give their time as volunteers or receive help from volunteer groups.
ACTCOSS, which represents many charities and civil society institutions, has said the following about this proposed charge “The decision to levy a charge on people who need a Working with Vulnerable People Card to volunteer is deeply regrettable. Government should not tax activities that it wants to promote, and many volunteers are students or retired and on fixed incomes. The last thing our community needs is a disincentive to volunteer.”
Your petitioners, therefore, request that the Assembly call on the ACT Government to not impose a fee on volunteers who apply for Working With Vulnerable People Cards.