Budget Cuts Affect the Office for Volunteers
A decision announced last week by Sue Wallace, Director Policy and Community Development at DCSI has caused unease in the sector. She stated that the Office for Volunteers (OFV) has recently been merged with the larger Dept. of Community and Social Inclusion (DCSI), with the aim of building on the existing work of the Office for Volunteers.
One of the major changes from this decision is that Andrew Hamilton, General Manager, OFV has been moved to the Office of the Southern Suburbs and his prior position in OFV has been cut as a result of budget saving measures.
It remains unclear to the sector how the existing work of Office for Volunteers will continue into the future and we will endeavour to pass on more information to the Sector as it comes to hand. (courteousy VSA/NT newsletter)
In relation to the comment that the Office for Volunteer has been ‘merged’ with the Dept of Community and Social Inclusion (DCSI), I think it is reasonable to clarify that the Office for Volunteer was moved from being a part of the Attorney-General’s Dept to being a part of the DCSI. In reality, this is probably a more appropriate fit.
The merger has come in the form of now being part of the portfolio of DCSI Director Sue Wallace rather than having its own GM.
At a very recent meeting with Sue Wallace, she assured me that both the Premier and CEO of DCSI consider volunteering and the Office for Volunteers as important components of the DCSI.
She assured me there would be no cuts to projects and programs from the Office for Volunteers who will now get “additional support within DCSI”.
It is apparent that Public Service savings are being made and only time will tell if they have an impact on the resources and workload of the Office for Volunteers.
Mike Feszczak – Chair, SA Local Government Volunteer Managers Network.