Afternoon Tea in support of International Volunteer Day 2023

Volunteering Queensland, Chair, Ms Linda Lavarch and Members of the Board and staff; representatives from organisations of which I am very proud Patron; volunteers, including our wonderful Government House volunteers; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.

I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbal and Jagera people, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to all First Nations people here today.

Graeme and I take great delight in welcoming you all here this afternoon. As Governor of this wonderful state and Patron of Volunteering Queensland, I am immensely proud of the work that is undertaken annually by so many people, on behalf of so many others, in our communities.

Tomorrow, millions around the world will mark International Volunteer Day. The theme for this year is ‘If Everyone Did’ and focusses clearly on the power of collective action.

We are prompted to imagine the world if everyone volunteered; what a special place it would be with more than eight billion people lending their time and talents to support others socially, economically, culturally, and environmentally.

The fact that volunteerism is such a potent renewable resource is a great boon for the planet and for society in general. And in Queensland, we are privileged to be led in our volunteer endeavours by Volunteering Queensland – the peak body dedicated to advancing and promoting volunteering. What an incredible role you play in marshalling the energies of volunteers to act on behalf of those who require support in a myriad of ways.

Today we celebrate all that has been achieved and continues to be achieved by the dedicated efforts of volunteers. You have made a huge difference in the lives of so many, and our State is enormously grateful for your empathy, generosity and goodwill.

While the far-reaching impact of your efforts is hard to quantify, I applaud the undertaking by Volunteering Queensland to commission a second State of Volunteering in Queensland report – an important body of research that will no doubt provide further insights into the impact of volunteering in our State, building on the data captured in the inaugural report of 2021. We look forward with interest to that launch in May next year during National Volunteer’s Week.

On the eve of International Volunteer Day 2023, I applaud the huge percentage of the adult population of our State who have donated their time to others. Even through the most difficult of times during the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers still stood up. It seems that no matter the need, or the circumstance, volunteers will rally and contribute their time, effort and skills to the cause.

Graeme and I now invite you to join us for some afternoon tea and thank you, once again, for your selfless contributions to the wellbeing of all Queenslanders. Thank you.