The federal government says Australia is in the grip of a "civic crisis" linked to loneliness and unprecedented pressure on the charity sector.
An inquiry is underway to see what can be done to reverse what it is calling the "collapse in community life", with public hearings being held in capital cities through August and September.
Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury Andrew Leigh said such dramatic language was warranted.
"Australia today is facing a civic crisis," Mr Leigh said.
"We've seen a collapse in the number of people volunteering and a decline in the share of people who are donating to charities.
"Compared with the mid-1980s, Australians have half as many close friends, and know half as many of their neighbours.
"We have become more disconnected."
'Too much red tape'
The hearings will focus on what can be done to foster a sense of community after a gruelling few years of COVID pandemic restrictions, as well as rebuilding volunteer numbers and boosting donations to charities.
Recent ABC coverage highlighted the significant impact of plummeting volunteer numbers in regional communities.
The coverage resulted in public feedback about excessive 'red tape' making volunteering more difficult. Others pointed to mounting financial stress reducing people's willingness to donate time or money.
Mr Leigh said the stakes were high.
"The Productivity Commission showed us that in the decade to 2020 the share of Australians who were volunteer firefighters declined, which meant that when those awful summer bushfires hit we were ill-prepared," he said.
"We just didn't have enough volunteer firefighters to meet the needs of the community.
"I'm not stupid — I get that this is a huge challenge to be taking on — but the benefits are so big, why wouldn't we give it a go?"
Mr Leigh said one promising model involved events with twin benefits, such as kayaking clean-ups that delivered both exercise and conservation work.
"Another example is Greening Australia's singles tree-planting event, which allows you to deal with deforestation and maybe also meet the love of your life," he said.
"The busier people get, the more effective it can be for organisations to offer volunteering opportunities that allow them to tick two boxes."
The community consultation will inform a charity sector blueprint, that will help inform reforms in the coming years.
Sammy the Dragon needs new legs
The government inquiry into the charity and volunteering sectors will hold hearings in regional areas later in the year.
Among the beneficiaries could be Sammy the Dragon, who every year 'wakes up' to open Shinju Matsuri, or Festival of the Pearl, in Broome.
It takes a minimum of 14 volunteers to get the enormous Chinese dragon up onto his feet, which coordinator Jack Castellarin said had become a challenge.
"I think year on year it's getting harder to find enough people to come to training and help out," Mr Castellarin said.
"We always get by, but it seems like people are a bit busier than they were in the past.
"The year we aren't able to get Sammy up and about will be a big wake-up call."
Marketing refresh?
Meanwhile, some within the charity sector are already rebranding to try to attract a younger generation of volunteers.
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed the biggest reduction in volunteering had been in the 15 to 24-year-old age bracket.
Mike Drysdale works for a Perth marketing firm and has been working on a campaign targeting young people for Volunteering WA.
He said focus groups revealed how attitudes had changed.
"I still see young people giving back in all sorts of ways, they're just not traditional and they often don't necessarily think of it as volunteering," Mr Drysdale said.
"I think prior generations viewed volunteering as a staple, and something you'd do on a regular basis for most of your life because it was your duty.
"I think younger generations are more interested in impact-based activities, where they can come together for a short period of time, deliver a lot of effort and maybe come back to it at a later date."
'Selfish doesn't come into it'
It is a mind-set ill-suited to the more formal structure of established volunteering clubs like Rotary and Lions.
But Mr Drysdale believed young people were motivated by the same sense of altruism as older generations.
"The word selfish doesn't even come into my vernacular when I'm talking about this," he said.
"I think this generation is dealing with a completely different playing field … when you look at the housing market and the gig economy and the way they have to find ways to hustle, it's all changed.
"Yes, they absolutely want to make an impact, but not at the expense of something that will drain them of energy and potentially not even make a real change."
To celebrate 90 years of the ABC connecting communities, we've partnered with Volunteering Australia to encourage Australians to come together and make a pledge: 90 minutes of kindness in your community. Make the pledge and share your #ABC90for90 with your friends, family and colleagues.
