The Minister for Community Development provides an update on a pilot program reducing fees for police checks for volunteers in WA, highlighting its success and potential impact on volunteer organisations.

AnsweredQoN 1045Legislative Assembly
Asked
10 September 2003
Portfolio
Community Development, Women’s Interests, Seniors and Youth

QuestionView source ↗

In her capacity as minister responsible for volunteer services, will the minister inform the House how the pilot project on reducing fees for police checks of volunteers is progressing? Ms S.M. McHALE

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the member for Mandurah for his question and his leadership in the area of volunteering. I am very pleased to inform the House that Western Australia is piloting an Australia-first program that basically offers at a significantly reduced rate police checks to incorporated not-for-profit organisations that are working with volunteers. The pilot program started on 1 July this year. Since then, the police have processed 374 checks. The fee for a national police certificate is $41. However, through a joint initiative of the Western Australia Police Service and the Department for Community Development, the pilot enables organisations to pay only $10 for the screening. It is a significant reduction and very much part of the Government’s policy to support volunteers in our communities. This initiative aims to ensure that volunteer groups do not have to carry the high financial cost of screening criminal records for their volunteers. It also provides screening to be accessible to volunteer groups. It is important, particularly when we are trying to attract young volunteers. On that note I remind all the young people in the public gallery to think about volunteering. My apologies to one school because I am not sure which one it is. Ms J.A. Radisich: It is Iona. Ms S.M. McHALE: I was right. I welcome students from Iona Presentation College and Mandurah Senior College and thank them for being here. Two hundred and eighty-eight volunteer organisations have registered, 25 of which have volunteer bases of more than 500 each. In other words, this pilot program has the long-term potential to impact on many thousands of Western Australians who want to volunteer. It will help volunteer organisations to manage their duty of care. It is one strategy to improve protective measures and it will keep down the cost to support volunteers. It is a great initiative. I am thankful to the Police Service and the department for the initiative.
Ms S.M. McHALE replied: I thank the member for Mandurah for his question and his leadership in the area of volunteering. I am very pleased to inform the House that Western Australia is piloting an Australia-first program that basically offers at a significantly reduced rate police checks to incorporated not-for-profit organisations that are working with volunteers. The pilot program started on 1 July this year. Since then, the police have processed 374 checks. The fee for a national police certificate is $41. However, through a joint initiative of the Western Australia Police Service and the Department for Community Development, the pilot enables organisations to pay only $10 for the screening. It is a significant reduction and very much part of the Government’s policy to support volunteers in our communities. This initiative aims to ensure that volunteer groups do not have to carry the high financial cost of screening criminal records for their volunteers. It also provides screening to be accessible to volunteer groups. It is important, particularly when we are trying to attract young volunteers. On that note I remind all the young people in the public gallery to think about volunteering. My apologies to one school because I am not sure which one it is. Ms J.A. Radisich: It is Iona. Ms S.M. McHALE: I was right. I welcome students from Iona Presentation College and Mandurah Senior College and thank them for being here. Two hundred and eighty-eight volunteer organisations have registered, 25 of which have volunteer bases of more than 500 each. In other words, this pilot program has the long-term potential to impact on many thousands of Western Australians who want to volunteer. It will help volunteer organisations to manage their duty of care. It is one strategy to improve protective measures and it will keep down the cost to support volunteers. It is a great initiative. I am thankful to the Police Service and the department for the initiative.
I thank the member for Mandurah for his question and his leadership in the area of volunteering. I am very pleased to inform the House that Western Australia is piloting an Australia-first program that basically offers at a significantly reduced rate police checks to incorporated not-for-profit organisations that are working with volunteers. The pilot program started on 1 July this year. Since then, the police have processed 374 checks. The fee for a national police certificate is $41. However, through a joint initiative of the Western Australia Police Service and the Department for Community Development, the pilot enables organisations to pay only $10 for the screening. It is a significant reduction and very much part of the Government’s policy to support volunteers in our communities. This initiative aims to ensure that volunteer groups do not have to carry the high financial cost of screening criminal records for their volunteers. It also provides screening to be accessible to volunteer groups. It is important, particularly when we are trying to attract young volunteers. On that note I remind all the young people in the public gallery to think about volunteering. My apologies to one school because I am not sure which one it is. Ms J.A. Radisich: It is Iona. Ms S.M. McHALE: I was right. I welcome students from Iona Presentation College and Mandurah Senior College and thank them for being here. Two hundred and eighty-eight volunteer organisations have registered, 25 of which have volunteer bases of more than 500 each. In other words, this pilot program has the long-term potential to impact on many thousands of Western Australians who want to volunteer. It will help volunteer organisations to manage their duty of care. It is one strategy to improve protective measures and it will keep down the cost to support volunteers. It is a great initiative. I am thankful to the Police Service and the department for the initiative.
I am very pleased to inform the House that Western Australia is piloting an Australia-first program that basically offers at a significantly reduced rate police checks to incorporated not-for-profit organisations that are working with volunteers. The pilot program started on 1 July this year. Since then, the police have processed 374 checks. The fee for a national police certificate is $41. However, through a joint initiative of the Western Australia Police Service and the Department for Community Development, the pilot enables organisations to pay only $10 for the screening. It is a significant reduction and very much part of the Government’s policy to support volunteers in our communities. This initiative aims to ensure that volunteer groups do not have to carry the high financial cost of screening criminal records for their volunteers. It also provides screening to be accessible to volunteer groups. It is important, particularly when we are trying to attract young volunteers. On that note I remind all the young people in the public gallery to think about volunteering. My apologies to one school because I am not sure which one it is. Ms J.A. Radisich: It is Iona. Ms S.M. McHALE: I was right. I welcome students from Iona Presentation College and Mandurah Senior College and thank them for being here. Two hundred and eighty-eight volunteer organisations have registered, 25 of which have volunteer bases of more than 500 each. In other words, this pilot program has the long-term potential to impact on many thousands of Western Australians who want to volunteer. It will help volunteer organisations to manage their duty of care. It is one strategy to improve protective measures and it will keep down the cost to support volunteers. It is a great initiative. I am thankful to the Police Service and the department for the initiative.
On that note I remind all the young people in the public gallery to think about volunteering. My apologies to one school because I am not sure which one it is. Ms J.A. Radisich: It is Iona. Ms S.M. McHALE: I was right. I welcome students from Iona Presentation College and Mandurah Senior College and thank them for being here. Two hundred and eighty-eight volunteer organisations have registered, 25 of which have volunteer bases of more than 500 each. In other words, this pilot program has the long-term potential to impact on many thousands of Western Australians who want to volunteer. It will help volunteer organisations to manage their duty of care. It is one strategy to improve protective measures and it will keep down the cost to support volunteers. It is a great initiative. I am thankful to the Police Service and the department for the initiative.
Ms J.A. Radisich: It is Iona. Ms S.M. McHALE: I was right. I welcome students from Iona Presentation College and Mandurah Senior College and thank them for being here. Two hundred and eighty-eight volunteer organisations have registered, 25 of which have volunteer bases of more than 500 each. In other words, this pilot program has the long-term potential to impact on many thousands of Western Australians who want to volunteer. It will help volunteer organisations to manage their duty of care. It is one strategy to improve protective measures and it will keep down the cost to support volunteers. It is a great initiative. I am thankful to the Police Service and the department for the initiative.
Ms S.M. McHALE: I was right. I welcome students from Iona Presentation College and Mandurah Senior College and thank them for being here. Two hundred and eighty-eight volunteer organisations have registered, 25 of which have volunteer bases of more than 500 each. In other words, this pilot program has the long-term potential to impact on many thousands of Western Australians who want to volunteer. It will help volunteer organisations to manage their duty of care. It is one strategy to improve protective measures and it will keep down the cost to support volunteers. It is a great initiative. I am thankful to the Police Service and the department for the initiative.
Two hundred and eighty-eight volunteer organisations have registered, 25 of which have volunteer bases of more than 500 each. In other words, this pilot program has the long-term potential to impact on many thousands of Western Australians who want to volunteer. It will help volunteer organisations to manage their duty of care. It is one strategy to improve protective measures and it will keep down the cost to support volunteers. It is a great initiative. I am thankful to the Police Service and the department for the initiative.

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