Volunteers are an essential

part of our society. There was another call for volunteers in our state newspaper yesterday. This was not a call for volunteers for a specific group but a more general one. 

It did not surprise me. It is becoming more and more difficult to volunteer.

No, you cannot simply put your hand up anymore and say "Yes, I'll help." 

I volunteered again this year at the state's annual agricultural show. It is the big event for the state's agricultural industry and is a very important event for farmers and others. I was working in Handicraft, an area which would seem harmless. 

Not so. I had to have an up to date "Working with Children" certificate from the police. I also had to complete a "Safe Work" certificate for the organisation. We could not be on the premises without these things and we had to wear our own safety vests at all times. It all sounds perfectly reasonable doesn't it? 

It is also something, apart from the safety vests, which was only brought in three years ago. Yes, it has been a sudden and apparently urgent requirement brought in because there have been changes to legislation which make it necessary.

There are problems with this. The Working with Children certificates may deter anyone who has been convicted of a relevant offence from applying for one but not someone who has not been caught. This will always be a problem. The certificates are expensive to get and not all organisations are willing to pay for them so the expense can mean some potential volunteers will not be willing to pay for these themselves. In my case the organisation which runs the Showground was willing to pay for them. It is a not-for-profit charity but it is also an essential part of the state's agricultural industry. Should the government be demanding the organisation pays or should they waive the fees? It is something which causes debate. I did not see or interact with a single child over the entire week I was there. Children are not permitted to be in the area at that time. So, why the need for a certificate? It is another thing which causes debate.

The Safe Working certificate is very basic commonsense. Mine notes I achieved 100% in the test you need to pass. It was not difficult to do. I do not know who wrote the test but it reads more like "we need to do this" than any serious attempt to ensure people know the rules.  Even so it will have taken time to develop, almost certainly by a volunteer committee of some sort! 

All this is simple compared with the hoops some people must jump through in order to volunteer or encourage others to volunteer. You want young people to join the church choir? It will go all the way up to the Archbishop or the Moderator or the Deacon or something else according to the denomination. Work with Scouts or Guides? Oh the paperwork! Help with Meals on Wheels? The "food service" training needed! Hear children read in the classroom under the eye of the teacher? Training days on top of all those checks! Teach English to migrants? You need a National Crime Check for that. Work with vulnerable NDIS recipients? We will throw everything at you and see if you can pass.

I suspect people give up. It is all too difficult, especially when time is limited. There are other things to do. The ability to commit to regular hours each week is more difficult than it once was. Put all the other barriers in place as well and it is too much to handle. 

Yes, I do understand the concern for the safety of others. There are "bad" people out there ready to take advantage. They are also a very small minority of people - and they have not yet been caught. The vast majority of people will do the right thing. We just need to let them do it.