A summary of the speech delivered John Thwaites, deputy Victorian Premier and Minister for Victorian Communities, to the Communities in Control conference 2004.
Minister for Victorian Communities and Deputy Premier John Thwaites used his address to the Communities in Control Conference to reflect on how the Victorian Government is trying to "Do Government Better" by helping community groups.
Mr Thwaites said the idea of communities being in control when in "an equal partnership with government and business" was one of the drivers for the establishment of the Department for Victorian Communities (DVC) two years ago, and that there was emerging evidence that when communities took control there were all sorts of benefits.
"There are quite clear connections that have been established through the Victorian Public Health Survey that community connectedness is linked to good health. But new research has shown that the influence of communities taking control goes even further," he said.
"This research – conducted by Professor Tony Vinson for Jesuit Social Services and partly funded by my Department for Victorian Communities – shows that when we build stronger communities we drive a wedge into the cycle of disadvantage many Victorians face.
"This was a survey carried out by Professor Vinson in the poorest postcodes in Victoria. What Professor Vinson found is that when social cohesion is high in a community – it starts to break the link between things like unemployment and leaving school early or imprisonment.
"What he did was look at all the usual socio-economic factors – like income, unemployment, imprisonment and the age when kids leave school. Across all those factors he put three social cohesion factors:
"First – volunteering – how many people in that particular postcode are involved in volunteering. Second – sporting activity – how many people in that particular postcode are involved in some form of sporting activity or recreation. And third – social support – how many people in that community felt they had someone they could talk to in a time of crisis.
"What he found was that in those post codes that had high levels of social cohesion – that is where there are high levels of volunteering, and sporting and recreation activities, and people having someone to talk to in a time of crisis – they did better."
Mr Thwaites said this sort of research justified what the government was trying to do through departments like the DVC: "From the Government's perspective, each year we spend literally billions of dollars on health, on schools, on community services, and we're not going to get value for money unless we also take account of what is happening at a community level," he said.
Mr Thwaites said the government – through the DVC – was trying to put in place a number practical ways to support volunteers and enhance community involvement in government. He said the Department was also setting up a volunteers framework, based around four important points:
- That the strategy is based around the needs of volunteers and volunteer groups.
- That it supports communities with innovative ideas about volunteering.
- It encourages the business and community sectors to share skills, and
- That it encourages volunteer that is more inclusive.
Finally, Mr Thwaites announced a $21.5 State Government commitment to its volunteers package, including $9 million to build networks that support volunteering, money towards small grants for volunteer groups, money for local Community Enterprises – business activities where the profits go back to the community – and for skills development and education.