# Community Participation — Major Cities of Australia

How people contribute — volunteering, unpaid care and domestic work, and defence service.

Area: Major Cities of Australia (Remoteness Area)

Nearly one in five people in the Major Cities of Australia volunteer, a figure well above the national rate. This high level of community involvement is seen across various roles, from formal volunteering to providing unpaid care for others. While some activities have dipped over the last decade, civic participation remains strong across these urban areas.

About 18.4% of people here volunteer, which is higher than most similar areas and well above the national figure of 14.1%. However, this rate has fallen by 2.7 percentage points since 2011.

Unpaid care is common, with 28.3% of people looking after children, which is much higher than in most other areas. Another 12.0% provide other types of unpaid care, a figure that has risen slightly since 2011.

Defence service is very prominent here, with 6.0% of people having served in the Defence Force. This is among the highest rates for this level of area and well above the national figure of 2.8%.

## Statistics

| Statistic | Value | Change since |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Volunteers | 18.4% | -12.9% since 2011 |
| People providing unpaid care | 12.0% | +12.7% since 2011 |
| People caring for children unpaid | 28.3% | +0.1% since 2011 |
| People who served in the Defence Force | 6.0% | — |
| People doing 15+ hours of unpaid housework | 19.3% | -6.4% since 2011 |

Interactive: https://censusatlas.au/region/ra/RA80/major-cities-of-australia/topic/community