Community groups had feared the $11 fee would stop people from volunteering. Photo: Woden Community Service.
The ACT Government’s proposed $11 fee for Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) registration has been scrapped.
The recent budget announced the fee would be enforced from 1 September, angering many members of the volunteering community.
It led to the Canberra Liberals vowing to vote against passing that section of the budget through the September Legislative Assembly sitting (when the bill containing the budget is to be debated), and for Greens MLA Laura Nuttall to sponsor a petition against the levy.
At that time crossbench MLA Fiona Carrick said she’d side with the Liberals on the issue. Crossbencher Thomas Emerson said while he opposed the fee, he wouldn’t vote against it.
The ACT Greens at that time hadn’t made a decision, but on Friday (18 July) put out a statement that the party would use its crossbench numbers to block the fee.
“It’s over. The Greens are closing the door on this unconstructive and unhelpful new fee,” Ms Nuttall said.
“Labor shouldn’t wait for the fee to be defeated by the parliament in September. It’s time to accept defeat and reassure volunteers now that they won’t face this new fee, because we actually value the work they do in the community.
“Like Labor’s health levy, this direct charge is such a blunt, careless way to address a legitimate concern.”
Their support was welcomed by the Canberra Liberals.
Shadow Treasurer Ed Cocks said it was a terrible tax to start with and one that would only discourage volunteer participation.
“There’s no way that a new $11 charge to obtain a WWVC would address the size of the budget debt and deficit and it would only make it harder to attract volunteers in the ACT,” he said.
“It’s sad to think that ACT Labor believe that one way to try and raise money is through charging our volunteers and community groups for this.”
The government has now announced it will not introduce the fee.
City and Government Services Minister Tara Cheyne said the decision was based on community feedback and stakeholder engagement, especially with VolunteeringACT and ACTCOSS.
“The intent of the fee was to offset some of the costs associated with administering a scheme which has been identified as far exceeding original modelling and projections since the first review of it in 2017,” she said.
“Many of the 160,000 card holders are not necessarily required to be registered under the law, and while there may be benefits from a wider list of card holders in volunteer roles, this has placed unsustainable pressure on the scheme.
“We are also anticipating that there will be additional requirements under the scheme as part of national responses to concerns in both the early childhood education and care sector and the aged care sector.”
She added the government had invested more than $5 million in the recent budget to support the WWVP scheme’s delivery and look at possible improvements to ensure it remained “fair, effective and sustainable” while also protecting vulnerable community members.
A review of the scheme is planned, in partnership with VolunteeringACT and ACTCOSS.
Disability, Carers and Community Services Minister Suzanne Orr said the Territory would also be involved in the national conversation relating to WWVP checks in key sectors.
“It is timely to look more broadly at the scheme. This step has been taken in response to the changing national environment relating to checks like the WWVP and other schemes in other jurisdictions,” she said.
“The ACT Government will work with local organisations and community partners to ensure appropriate safeguards remain in place and we continue to operate a nation-leading scheme that is sustainable into the future.”
VolunteeringACT CEO Jean Giese called the fee’s revocation a win for the 279,000 volunteers in Canberra.
“Our joint advocacy with volunteers, community organisations and government has demonstrated the power of collective action and the value the community places on volunteering,” she said.
“Your voices have been heard.”
Ms Giese acknowledged the government’s collaboration on the issue, and said the organisation was now focused on delivering the ACT Volunteering Strategy.
“A key component of the strategy is to ensure the appropriate safeguards are in place for volunteering to occur,” she said.
“The ACT has a strong volunteering legacy, and this is a clear signal that volunteering will continue to thrive now, and into the future.”
