News
16 August, 2025
No volunteers, no Olympics
More than 50,000 volunteers will be needed to ensure the smooth operation of the Brisbane 2032 Olympics, as authorities raise concerns about a slump in volunteer participation levels across the state.
A submission to the Supporting Our Volunteers Parliamentary Inquiry revealed unease by the Department of Sport about some of the looming volunteer issues facing the Games just seven years out from the opening ceremony.
Public hearings are currently underway on the Gold Coast, with reports hoping to be delivered to Government by September 2025.
The Department’s submission raised key concerns including how the decline of volunteers is putting pressure on existing participants bearing the load from the lack of assistance.
“Queensland has experienced a significant reduction in volunteering rates, falling by over 10 per cent between 2020 and 2023 and remaining below pre-Covid-19 levels,” they said.
“Potential volunteers are reluctant to entirely commit due to the demanding hours being requested and the out-of-pocket costs that are associated – a significant issue during the current costof-living crisis.”
The Department of Sport suffers from a vast burden of insurance costs and volunteer liability when compliance intricacies are poorly mitigated on account of the negative association with training new participants and finding qualified contributors.
Inadequate support and training being delegated towards volunteers is due to the limited funding and staffing appointed to effective training programs for participants.
“The increasing complexity and regulation across all aspects of life make volunteering and managing volunteer organisations more difficult.”
The 2000 Sydney Olympics leveraged strategies to improve future events involving volunteers.
Strategic proposals include:
Establishing a cost-of-volunteering reimbursement fund aimed to assist in long-term sustainability and income tax relief incentives for volunteers.
Establishing an increase in funding and grants for organisations associated with volunteer work, which provide grants specifically for volunteer programs covering areas such as recruitment, training and travel.
Having multiple strategies instituted can specifically boost the number of volunteers not only for The Department of Sport, Racing and Olympics and Paralympic Games (DSROPG) but for organisations who rely heavily on volunteer work consistently.
