12:00 Tue 27 Mar 2007				REF:LZAXCSN4

TO:	The Hon Jennifer RANKINE MP	cc	Interested Parties
	Minister for Volunteers
	SOUTH AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENT

	VOLUNTEERING AND THE INFORMATION ECONOMY

Dear Minister - this is the second email in response to your letter 
03 Dec 2006 to provide you with an update on events stimulated 
by that letter - "The  Importance of the Electronic Transactions
Acts [ETAs] for the Australian Information Economy"

This email

A	Volunteering in the Information Economy
B	A Model to Stimulate the Local Information Economy
C	Feedback from Parents
D	Invitation to Speak on "Volunteers & The Information Economy"

A	VOLUNTEERING IN THE INFORMATION ECONOMY

As the Minister for Volunteering South Australia you may be aware
of the Report "The Community's Most Valuable [Hidden] Asset - 
Volunteering in Australia" commissioned by the Federal Department
of Family and Community Services [FaCS] in 2002

This report states 

"the Ironmonger 2000 report estimated that the  Value to Australia of 
the Volunteer Effort is $ 41 Billion per annum at a hourly rate $ 17.10/hr
on an hourly rate basis

However, Ironmonger (2000) comments that there is no method available 
to provide a dollar value for the personal satisfaction, skills  and social 
benefits gained by volunteers through their involvement in volunteering.

The economic value of volunteering is a prominent issue in Europe, 
where a Volunteer Investment and Value Audit (VIVA) has been 
implemented. 

The VIVA uses the replacement cost approach to analyse and measure 
activities, matching them to paid work and assigning a ‘shadow wage’.

The ‘shadow wage’ represents the amount that an organisation would 
have to pay to employ people to do the work of volunteers." 

OIC members spent some time at the Economic Theory Lectures of 
Prof Peter JONES of the London School of Economics and Political 
Science [LSE] between 1991-1993.

LSE is on the other side of the road to Australia House in Aldwych 
about 300 metres from South Australia House

Peter JONES was espousing the Values of a Local Community Credits
System as part of the Green Money System.

At the 1996 OIC AGM there was a unanimous mandate from members
to develop and implement a prototype Volunteer eCredits System which
appears to address the issue "a dollar value system" for a Local Social 
Value System

B	MODEL TO STIMULATE THE LOCAL INFORMATION ECONOMY

OIC Members have been tracking the progress with the various Reports
to Federal and State Government on Volunteers and Volunteer Management
Systems.

This includes

1	The Rio Tinto WA Future Fund Volunteer Management
	Pilot with Mundaring Council in Western Australia
	

2	The WA Department of Sport & Recreation "Evaluation of the 
	Rio Tinto Model
	
One of the flaws in the Rio Tinto WA Future Fund Model appears to be 
that the Local Sports Clubs do not receive the Volunteer Credits but 
the Local Sport Peak Body and the Council receive the Credits for
Managing the Volunteers.

In our own experience with a joint venture with Local Junior Soccer
Club to estimate the number of Volunteer hours contributed by
Players Parents we discovered all the Junior Player Information is 
not controlled by the Players Club but by the Regional Peak Body.

This Joint Venture was to develop a Local Information Economy 
eCredits process as part of Local Business Sponsorship for the
Junior Soccer Club

Again this is another issue that if Local Parents can see that by
Volunteering it will assist the Local Information Economy then
they may be more willing to provide more Volunteer time and 
resources

FEEDBACK FROM PARENTS

This is a very natural and common reaction from a Parent about
any form of payment for Volunteering - they were unaware of the 
fact that Volunteer time had been costed at $ 17.10 an hour or
could be used as a Credit by a Sport Peak Body or Council. 

> The definition of a volunteer is somebody who is performing a duty
> without payment.  
> 
> I have coached soccer for the last three years and have never
> expected any recompense apart from the joy my children and I get 
> from the sport.  
> 
> To volunteer for a position and expect paid compensation is
> ridiculous, insulting to all the parents who donate their time, and
> detrimental to your own children when they realise that their 
> recreation is just another income stream for you. 

The feedback we have received from Local Parents on the current 
Model for Volunteers for the Information Economy is:

1	it creates Credits that can be used on the various Money
	markets by Councils and Sport Peak Bodies but 

2	does not provide tangible credits for the Volunteers or the
	Junior Sports Clubs.

Many of the Parents have stated that they do not want to receive
any payment in any form for Volunteering.

That is understandable as many people Volunteer out of a sense of 
Social Obligation, however there is no reason why their contribution 
for Volunteer hours could not be recognised as a Community Asset 
as part of the Local Information Economy

INVITATION TO SPEAK

We would appreciate your views as the Minister for Volunteers 
on this issue.

Would you be prepared to speaking at an OIC Education Seminar in 
Sydney on "Volunteering and the Information Economy" either on 

1	Wed 23 May 2007 or 

2	Wed 20 Jun 2007 in Sydney ?

3	A time and date convenient to yourself

Thank you

Stevan GILLMORE
Events Co-ordinator
OPEN INTERCHANGE CONSORTIUM

E:	sdgillmore@oic.org
T:	{61}(2) 9953-7412
W:	http://www.oic.org

FURTHER INFORMATION OR UNSUBSCRIBE

1	Kids Safe-at-Sport

	E:	Paul.jenkins@smeems.net
	Subj:	"Kids Safe-at-Sport"

2	Information Economy Standards

	E:	colin.shaw@halisa.net
	Subj:	"Information Economy Standards"	

3	OIC Projects

	E:	peter.henry@oic.org
	Subj:	"OIC Information Economy Projects"

4	Unsubscribe

	E:	sdgillmore@oic.org
	Subj:	"Unsubscribe please"