Australian Bureau of Statistics
Celebrating the International Year of Statistics 2013

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Voluntary work is an important contribution to national life. It meets needs within the community and helps to develop and reinforce social networks and cohesion.

There were 115,600 persons in Tasmania in 2000 who undertook voluntary work. A volunteer was defined as someone who willingly gave unpaid help in the form of time, service or skills, through an organisation or group in the past 12 months. Approximately 34.1% of males and 33.8% of females undertook voluntary work in the reference period. About 38.5% of persons aged 35-64 years did voluntary work, compared to 31.8% of persons aged 18-34 years and 24.3% of those aged 65 years and over.`

Approximately 35.7% of persons in ex-metropolitan (balance of Tasmania) areas undertook voluntary work compared to 31.5% in the metropolitan area (Hobart Statistical Division).

VOLUNTEERS, Selected characteristics - Tasmania - 2000
		Number				Volunteer rate
		Males	Females	Persons		Males	Females	Persons
		'000	'000	'000		%	%	%
Age (years)
	18-34	15.1	17.2	32.3		30.0	33.6	31.8
	35-64	34.6	34.0	68.5		39.2	37.7	38.5
	65 and over	6.9	7.9	14.8		25.4	23.5	24.3
Area
	Hobart Statistical Division	23.7	20.8	44.6		35.0	28.3	31.5
	Balance of Tasmania	32.8	38.2	71.0		33.6	37.8	35.7
Total		56.5	59.1	115.6		34.1	33.8	34.0
Source: Voluntary Work, Australia, 2000 (cat. no. 4441.0), and ABS data available on request, Companion Data to Voluntary Work, Australia, 2000 (cat. no. 4441.0.55.001).

In 2000, Tasmanian volunteers contributed approximately 18.7 million hours of their time; divided fairly evenly between males and females. Of all the time contributed, approximately 58.3% was undertaken by persons in ex-metropolitan areas (balance of Tasmania).

The median weekly number of hours contributed by volunteers was 1.5 hours. In the metropolitan area (Hobart Statistical Division), females contributed 1.9 hours a week while males contributed 1.1 hours. In the ex-metropolitan areas (balance of Tasmania), males contributed 1.7 hours a week while females contributed 1.2 hours.

VOLUNTEERS, Hours of voluntary work - Tasmania - 2000
		Males	Females	Persons
Annual hours (m)
	Hobart Statistical Division	3.5	4.4	7.8
	Balance of Tasmania	5.7	5.2	10.9
	Total	9.1	9.6	18.7
Median weekly hours (no.)
	Hobart Statistical Division	1.1	1.9	1.5
	Balance of Tasmania	1.7	1.2	1.5
	Total	1.4	1.5	1.5
Source: Voluntary Work, Australia, 2000 (cat. no. 4441.0).

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