Council considers that there is:
A need to amend explanatory information provided on volunteering and add at least one additional question to this topic; and
A need to remove the over 15 years barrier to questions on unpaid care
The current question on volunteering asks Australians if they have spent any time in the last twelve months doing volunteering through an organisation or group. The explanatory notes indicate that ‘volunteering’ should include volunteer work through sporting teams, youth groups, schools and religious organisations.
Council considers that this explanation rules out activity that should be included in an understanding of volunteering, including volunteering for community or political campaigns, volunteering to gain work experience and student placements. The question itself provides little useful information, including (but not limited to) because the question collates one-off volunteering with ongoing long-term volunteering.
Council suggests that at a minimum the question be replaced with one that asks if a person has spent time in the last twelve months doing volunteering, with answer options that would allow for information on frequency (i.e. no; yes once or twice; yes regularly every month; yes regularly every fortnight, or similar). The explanation of volunteering provided should be broadened to capture the activities undertaken by people in a voluntary capacity or it should be made clear that the question refers only to formal volunteering. Council would also find useful a follow up question that asked a person for the industry or area they volunteered in.
Council considers that there remains a place for questions in the Census on unpaid child and other care and domestic work. We suggest however, that the three current questions on unpaid care and domestic work should be able to be completed by all Census participants allowing us to gain some indication of children’s caregiving which we have little information on.