It's time to reboot the concept of volunteering

They're a ragged bunch these days. Pot bellies have replaced washboard stomachs. Titanium implants have replaced creaking knees and hips. Hearing aids nestle in their hairy ears like tiny bird eggs while their reading glasses boast magnification levels surpassing the Hubble space telescope.

But their memories of compulsory national service remain vivid. More than half a century later these "Nashos" - my father among them - meet on the golf course twice a week, bonded by a shared experience that remains a highlight of their lives.

Almost 300,000 Australians underwent compulsory military training before the Whitlam government phased out the scheme in 1972 - a decade after Britain abandoned its own conscription model.

Now British PM Rishi Sunak is promising to reintroduce mandatory national service for 18-year-olds.

At first glance it's what you might expect from a Conservative government fatally wounded by Olympian levels of incompetence; a Hail Mary attempt at minimising electoral devastation in less than a fortnight by recalling the Empire's proud military history and its citizens' willingness to serve.

But anything emerging from the mouth of the sharply-dressed, tin-eared Sunak these days is easily dismissed as simply another embarrassing brain fart from a man so inept at the art of persuasion he would struggle selling Botox to the Kardashians.

Cynical teenagers - members of Gen Z - swamped social media with sarcastic memes while the stiff upper lips of British military figures, always disdainful of the prospect of uninspired amateurs within their ranks, quivered at the prospect.

Buried in the scepticism of Sunak's plan, however, is the germ of a compelling idea that Australia should consider to reboot something we once excelled at - community volunteering.

The Tory proposal would give 18-year-olds the choice of signing on for 12 months of military training or undertaking once-a-month community work.

Given that only 30,000 military places would be reserved for the "best and brightest" in areas like cybersecurity, logistics and procurement, the overwhelming number of young adults would assist in aged care, serve as "special constables" or work for charities like the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

Sunak says such community service would help young people learn "real world skills, do new things and contribute to their community and their country" - benefits hard to argue against. It's the mandatory aspect of the plan that makes it a stinker.

That lingering British colonial culture my father and his national service mates were raised in, one requiring unstinting obedience to the Empire and respect for the Establishment and its institutions, is thankfully long over.

But also vanishing quickly is Australia's long and outstanding tradition of community volunteering. Bureau of Statistics data shows a third of us performed volunteer work in this century's first decade. But those numbers crashed during the pandemic and have not returned. We now have an estimated 1.86 million fewer volunteers than in the pre-COVID era.

This decline spans most age groups but is particularly prominent among 15-24 year-olds, with only one in five now engaged in volunteer work.

Those who analyse these numbers are perplexed, claiming we now live in an age when awareness of social, political and climate issues is at an all-time high. But the tools that heighten that awareness - social media and the internet - have also encouraged us to withdraw and isolate, fragmenting many of society's traditional bonds.

We also make volunteering more difficult than it should be. Donating your time and energy to benefit others in the community often requires complex paperwork including police checks and clearances to work with children. Several years ago I signed up to deliver meals to the elderly; the lengthy process felt like I was applying for membership of Mensa.

Sunak's national service plan was rightly dismissed as another crude election campaign gimmick. But what if we adopted the intention behind this bungled proposal - to rebuild community ties and help the disadvantaged - while dismissing the focus on 18-year-olds and its compulsory service component?

Who would oppose university graduates working off their HECS debts by volunteering for monthly community work? Medical students now burdened with debts of $150,000 or more could reduce it by assisting in disadvantaged communities.

And if financially donating to charities is rewarded with tax deductions, why can't time spent volunteering be assessed the same way?

My father and his mates have no regrets about national service. They formed lifelong friendships and honestly believed the Cold War threatened their future.

Helping Australians in need is now under threat. And we only have to look within to find the latest enemy - our indifference.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Should we bring back compulsory national service and if so, in what form? Do you perform community work and have you noticed a decline in volunteers? How do we encourage people to do more volunteering? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au

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THEY SAID IT: "Without volunteers we'd be a nation without a soul." - Rosalynn Carter

YOU SAID IT: "If you don't know vote no" was Peter Dutton's catchcry last year when he lambasted the lack of detail about how the Indigenous Voice to Parliament would work. So how come there's so little detail in his nuclear plan unveiled this week?

Ian writes: "Many of us are justifiably fearful that the current renewable energy initiatives supported by Labor will fall short. Clearly solar power isn't generated when it's dark and wind power needs the wind to blow. So, how will round the clock renewable electricity provision happen if we phase out fossil fuel power generation and exclude nuclear? The answer has to be large scale energy storage such as batteries, green hydrogen, or hydro perhaps. In order to cut Dutton's fear mongering off at the pass, the Labor government needs to pull the finger out and demonstrate that it has a complete and implementable renewable energy strategy allowing for 24/7 energy provision including both generation mated to appropriate storage systems."

"One thing so far absent in the conversation is how Dutton proposes to manage geological instability or war (the prospect of concentrated radioactive material falling into the wrong hands over the next 700 million years, which is just the half life of uranium 235)," writes Ken.

Betty writes: "It is almost foolhardy of Dutton to take this approach. Australians are very wary of nuclear power. Surely it is the death knell for the Libs."

"I hold my head in my hands at the mind-boggling insanity of Dutton's nuclear proposals," writes Ian G. "Like most of everything he says, it is a litany of lies and untruths; around costs, around timeframes, around the need for it. What's frightening is enough people might buy it. I'm no fan of nuclear power, and it won't help us get to net zero by 2050, but I will acknowledge one point; to fully electrify Australia, I've read it will require seven times the generation capacity we have now (when all cars are electric, and so on), even without population growth. So in a post-2050 net zero world, it might have a place. But let's not let it distract us from our renewable journey which is our best bet right now."

Patrick writes: "There is certainly more detail to come; as soon as the Coalition realise exactly what that detail is. This is a political campaign by the opposition not a 'strategy' to benefit all Australians. To ignore, or more accurately deride, independent analysis is a window on the true nature of Australian conservatism. If Dutton's and Littleproud's nuclear 'push' is classed as visionary, I would suggest they make an optician appointment."

"In this debate I will be using Mr Dutton's own slogan, 'If you don't know, vote no'," writes Cate. "This is not a plan, it is a distraction and he knows it. Poor quality mastheads and TV are being used as propaganda to keep Dutton feeding his base and in the headlines. Time to have a real discussion on renewable energy, nuclear is in the past and I certainly don't want it around for my grandchildren to have to deal with."

Dave writes: "I'm not anti-nuclear power per se as it is zero carbon emission, but this plan is too late, too expensive and just propping up fossil fuel conglomerates as endlessly argued elsewhere."

"Unlike a politician, a nuclear power plant has a very long life beyond the next election," writes John from Port Macquarie. "In 50 to 80 years (if they last even that long), the plants will need to be demolished. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, this 'is a complex undertaking which usually requires a significant timespan and budget' and a 'large, highly skilled workforce' - typically 15 to 30 years and billions of dollars. Peter and Ted, I don't want my great-great-grandchildren to be burdened with the risks and costs of storage of wastes and the vast costs of decommissioning, just so you can continue your obeisance to the fossil fuel industry."