Volunteering at council

We believe volunteers are able to contribute many unique talents, skills and knowledge to enhance the services provided to the community.
Council has a number of facilities and areas that utilise the services of volunteers.

Artspace Mackay

The Artspace Mackay volunteers provide an invaluable service to the gallery by staffing our front desk, and keeping visitors informed about the exhibitions, workshops, events and other exciting opportunities and services offered by Artspace Mackay.

Artspace volunteers also provide valuable assistance at exhibition openings and help with preparation and facilitation of public programs and special events

Greenmount Homestead and museums

Council maintains two historical centres in the region; Pioneer Valley Museum and Greenmount Homestead.

Volunteers across both historical centres support museum staff by providing engaging tours to visitors and acting as the front-of-house customer service team. They are key players in the successful running of educational programs, workshops, and other special events.

Working together with museum staff, our volunteers provide support with collection care and conservation tasks. Volunteering at Greenmount Homestead and Museums helps volunteers develop new skills, knowledge, and expertise.

*Some volunteer activities may require volunteers to hold a Working with Children Blue Card.

Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre

The Friends of the Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre (MECC) provide ushering services at performances, banquets and expos, and act as ambassadors at conferences and conventions, providing local advice to visitors to our region. As a Friend of the MECC you will get to work on some of the most exciting events in Mackay, meeting many new friends along the way.

Many of the Friends have been associated with the venue for over 20 years, and the value of the work they have done exceeds the one million dollar mark

Mackay Festival of Arts 

The Festival of Arts is a great opportunity for people in the community that have an interest in the festival, events or hospitality fields and would like some hands on experience, or for people that simply love the arts.

There is a range of fantastic events volunteers can be a part of each year and can help by getting involved in stage operations, information services, being an artist host, photography and much more.

Natural Environment activities

Several of the Mackay region’s natural parks and reserves have dedicated Friend’s Groups that hold working bees on a regular basis, undertaking weed control, maintenance and revegetation activities.

A regular program of working bees is also offered as part of the Mackay Coasts and Communities Project to provide opportunities for people to get involved in the sustainable management of coastal areas.

Mackay Natural Environment Centre

The Mackay Natural Environment Centre (MNEC) nursery specialises in local Central Queensland provenance plants for rehabilitation, revegetation and water sensitive urban design projects from the rainforest to the coast.

The nursery propagates over 100,000 plants each year, follows Best Management Practice Guidelines and is accredited by the Nursery Industry Accreditation Scheme, Australia (NIASA).

The MNEC is run by a dedicated team of council staff and volunteers, growing a wide range of local native garden plants for Mackay Regional Council’s Free Native Plant Program and other projects across the region.

MNEC welcomes volunteers on Tuesdays and Thursdays, offering a range of activities including:

• Seed collection and sorting
• Propagation of local native plants
• Nursery maintenance tasks
• Weed control
• Field trips to key sites to learn about and get involved in land management activities such as revegetation 

Sarina Sugar Shed

Volunteer at the Sarina Sugar Shed and help our visitors have a great experience, plus contribute to our region’s tourism industry for the benefit of the local community.

There are many aspects of the Sugar Shed that volunteers can be involved in, including the retail store, the café, the kitchen, the distillery, and general maintenance.

Full training is provided, and fixed shifts across flexible times are available over a seven-day working week.

We welcome all community members to volunteer with council.

Some volunteer activities may have an age or fitness requirement, depending on the activities planned/undertaken by volunteers.

Volunteers will be asked to complete a volunteer registration form, volunteer induction and a site-specific induction.

Volunteers will be required to comply with council policies and procedures, Code of Conduct, the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011.

Please note that from time-to-time volunteer programs reach capacity and council are not able to provide volunteer placements.

If you are interested in volunteering, you can register your interest by completing the online form.

Once the application is received, a staff member will contact you regarding your expression of interest.

Some of our volunteer opportunities may require volunteers to hold, or obtain, a Working with Children Blue Card.

To request a paper-based application form, please call 1300 MACKAY (622 529), visit  one of customer service centres, or send an email to council@mackay.qld.gov.au

Council is committed to ensuring the management of volunteers is undertaken in accordance with Volunteering Australia's "National Standards for Volunteer Involvement" and strives to pursue the highest possible standard for a supportive, safe and healthy work environment for all volunteers.

Volunteering Queensland provides information and the opportunity for community members to link up with not-for-profit and community groups that need volunteers.

Find out what volunteering opportunities are available.