Around 40% of adult Australians volunteer their their time to support social enterprises each year, contributing over 800 million hours of labour to the sector.  This is a higher level of paticipation than in the USA or Canada.

Some of the key points from "Giving Australia: Research on Philanthropy in Australia" (published in 2005):

• In 2004, 41% of adult Australians volunteered for a total of 836 million hours. This represents an increase in the percentage of people volunteering compared to 2000 which was in turn higher than 1995. It also represents a 19% increase in hours volunteered.
  
• On average, volunteers gave 132 hours over the year; the median hours volunteered was 44.
• A higher percentage of adult Australians volunteer than Americans or Canadians.
  

From the Australian Bureau of Statistics Satellite Accounts 1999-2000:

• A volunteer is someone who willingly gives unpaid help, in the form of time, service or
  skills, through an organisation or group.
  
• 4.4 million Australians over the age of 18 participated in some form of volunteer work with NPI or government organisations during 1999–2000.
  
• The number of volunteer involvements is greater than the number of volunteers, as some individuals are involved with a number of the same or different types of organisations.
  
• There were 6.5 million involvements in 1999–2000. Of this, 5.1 million involvements were estimated to be with non-government NPIs.
  

• The social services activity accounted for the greatest number of volunteer involvements with NPIs (29%). This was followed by culture and recreation NPIs (26%), and 'other' NPIs (22%).
• There were 558 million hours worked in NPIs by volunteers during 1999–2000, equating to 285 thousand full-time equivalent persons. The social services activity accounted for 31% of volunteer hours and full-time equivalent persons, followed by 'other' NPIs (27%) and culture and recreation (24%). 
• Of full-time equivalent persons in volunteer work, 54% were female.
  
• Males contributed more volunteer labour to culture and recreation and business and professional
  associations and unions than females.
  

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