Page 3065 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 23 September 2014

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video


I commend St John Ambulance to the Assembly and acknowledge the work they do in our region. For further information, including how to book a first-aid training course, I invite all members to visit their website at www.stjohnact.com.au.

Volunteering Australia

Focus ACT

MS PORTER (Ginninderra) (4.31): I am happy to be able to recognise an important and influential woman in tonight’s adjournment; that is, Margaret Bell AM, who was the former CEO of then Volunteering New South Wales, former president of Volunteering Australia and former president of IAVE, the International Association for Volunteer Effort. As members would be aware, I recently attended the 23rd IAVE world conference on volunteering, in Queensland. This was an important conference dealing with the importance of volunteer effort in today’s society and highlighting the many challenges in the 21st century. I hope to speak more about this tomorrow during private members’ business.

However, tonight I would like to congratulate Margaret, who was awarded life membership of IAVE during the conference. This is well deserved, in recognition of a woman who was the first patron of Volunteering Australia, has a long history of championing volunteering, and has made extraordinary contributions to the sector, both nationally and internationally. I will continue to read from the web commendation that is available on a site called “Australia’s Volunteer Champion”:

Margaret’s professional career includes:

Director Participatory Research Institute of Asia

International Consultant Commonwealth Foundation UK

Founding Director of CIVICUS, World Alliance for Citizen Participation; and

Member of the CIVICUS Corporate Engagement Task Force worldwide in partnership with Prince of Wales Business Forum, World Bank and United Nations Development Forum

Immediate Past President IAVE, International Association for Volunteer Effort 1996-2003

World President of IAVE 1988-1996

IAVE envoy to the United Nations 1996-2002

Founding Director of the Australian Council for Volunteering 1994-1997

President/CEO of Volunteering Australia 1997-1998

Executive Director of Volunteering NSW 1984-1997


Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video