The ‘Administrative Burden’ of Tackling Loneliness through Volunteering in Community Centres in South Australia: Promoting Connection or Productivity in Older Age?

Loneliness is a growing public health and public policy concern and, internationally, governments are promoting volunteering as an important remedy for ageing populations. Research shows there are positive health and social outcomes from volunteering; however, the dominant approaches to understanding loneliness reinforce an individualising understanding of the issue as occurring primarily among older people, and investment in volunteering-based solutions is subject to economic justifications. This article investigated the experiences of volunteers in community centres in South Australia seeking to remedy their loneliness with attention to the impact of neoliberal rationales and funding arrangements. Applying a Marxist lens to data from 123 participants in 15 focus groups, we argue that, while the community centres aim to be spaces for connection and preventing loneliness, the effect of neoliberal funding prioritises productivity through volunteer labour.