Volunteering: The Australian experience
Melanie Oppenheimer
Margaret George Award, 2006
Public lecture presented at the National Archives of Australia in Canberra
15 May 2007
In this paper Dr Oppenheimer investigates two areas of Australian volunteering in the 1950s and 1970s – sport and community/welfare – to see what happened to the wartime vounteering spirit in the postwar era. What changes were there to the voluntary sector in postwar Australia? And how did governments, who were very keen to harness voluntary organisations during the war, respond in later years?
You can access the paper in pdf format from the link at the bottom of this page.
 | Australian Broadcasting Commission – Talks, listening groups and special sessions | 1945–49 | A9816, 1943/765 part 2 | |
| Commonwealth assistance to voluntary aid organisations – Policy | 1966–77 | A463, 1973/1421 | |
| Australian voluntary aid organisations – Australian–Vietnamese Association of Victoria | 1965–74 | A1838, 2101/3/17 part 1 | |
| Good Neighbour Council – South Australia – General | 1950–55 | A445, 112/3/5 | |
| Increased maintenance payments in respect of child migrants spondored by approved voluntary organisations | 1954–55 | A4940, C1092 | |
| Melbourne Olympic Games, 1956 – Australian Olympic Federation Bulletins | 1953–56 | AA1967/379, 6 | |
| Melbourne Olympic Games, 1956 – Organisation Committee – Executive Committee – Agenda and minutes | 1954–56 | AA1967/379, 2 part 2 | |
| ABC radio presentation by Catherine King – 'Marriage guidance' | 1951 | SP369/1, K/5 | |
| Cabinet Welfare Committee – Meals on Wheels | 1969–70 | A446, 1970/95232 | |
| Meals on Wheels | 1968–72 | A5882, CO786 | |
| Subsidy for Meals on Wheels organisation | 1969–70 | A5619, C647 | |
| Australian Assistance Plan | 1973–74 | A463, 1973/1522 | |
 | Volumes of documents submitted to the Social Welfare Commissioners for decision | 1973–76 | A3390 | |
| A Say in Your Community with the Australian Assistance Plan – Film production number 27133 | 1975 | C809, 081124 | |
| Documents submitted to the Social Welfare Commissioners for decision – Document 414: Australian Assistance Plan Report – 'What is the Australian Assistance Plan?' | 1975 | A3390, 414 | |
