April, 2026

How is Volunteering Australia engaging on and progressing this work?

Developments in the charities and non-for-profit sector can impact volunteers and volunteer involving organisations. Volunteering Australia keeps across these developments and provides input and advocates for the volunteering eco-system.

Not-for-profit Sector Development Blueprint

The Not-for-profit Sector Development Blueprint is a 10-year roadmap developed independently by the Not-for-profit Sector. Our CEO was a member of the Blueprint Expert Reference Group which guided the creation of the Blueprint. Volunteering Australia supports implementation of the initiatives in the Not-for-profit Sector Development Blueprint and its use in guiding conversations about the future of the not-for-profit sector.

Philanthropy Inquiry

As part of the Federal Government’s commitment to collaborate with the philanthropic, not-for-profit and business sectors to double philanthropic giving by 2030, the Treasurer asked the Productivity Commission to inquire into philanthropy. Under the terms of reference, charitable giving was defined to include workplace giving, bequests, private foundations, in-kind donations, and volunteering. The inquiry was conducted between February 2023 and July 2024 when the final report Future foundations for giving was released.

The Productivity Commission made three recommendations in relation to volunteering which Volunteering Australia supports:

  • Recommendation 6.1 for a proposed simpler, refocused deductible gift recipient (DGR) system under which the Commission estimates around 6,000 additional volunteer-run charities would have easier access to DGR status.

  • Recommendation 7.7 to require Australian, state, territory and local governments to explicitly consider the effects on volunteers when designing policies and programs.

  • Recommendation 9.4 for the Australian Bureau of Statistics to improve the usefulness of public information sources on volunteering.

We were disappointed that the Commission did not recommend exploring how the tax system could be used to support volunteering (for example through making volunteering expenses tax deductible) and we continue to advocate for this to be considered.

Volunteering Australia made two submissions to the inquiry process which informed the Productivity Commission’s findings and recommendations.

Digital Gift Recipient Reform

Volunteering Australian supports Justice Connect’s Unlock Digital Gift Reform (DGR) campaign which advocates for a simpler and fairer tax system that unlocks opportunity for the charity sector through reform of the DGR rules, as recommended by the Productivity Commission in the Future foundations for giving report.