Rights and Responsibilities

As a volunteer you have the right:

To work in a healthy and safe environment (refer various Occupational Health and Safety Act[s]);
To be interviewed and engaged in accordance with equal opportunity and anti-discrimination legislation;
To be adequately covered by insurance;
To be given accurate and truthful information about the organisation for which you are working;
To be given a copy of the organisation’s volunteer policy and any other policy that affects your work;
Not to fill a position previously held by a paid worker;
To have a job description and agreed working hours;
To have access to a grievance procedure;
To be provided with orientation to the organisation;
To have your confidential and personal information dealt with in accordance with the principles of the Privacy Act 1988; and
To be provided with sufficient training to do your job.

I understand that if at any time I feel these rights are not being met, I will inform a VAS Gallery staff member so that the situation may be rectified.

As a volunteer you have the responsibility:

To be reliable, arrive on time and keep to your agreed work days;
To notify staff as soon as possible if you are not available or running late.;
To respect the rights of the exhibiting artists, visiting members and others in the organisation;
To represent the interests of the Victorian Artists Society;
To carry out your duties to the best of your abilities;
To give feedback, communicate relevant and important information;
To be accountable and accept evaluation;
To recognise personal and external limitations on commitment;
To undertake training and have a good understanding of the organisation;
To address areas of conflict with an appropriate staff member; and
To ask for support when it is needed.

Confidentiality

There may be times while you are volunteering that your work will involve confidential information. This may include financial information, personal details relating to artists, members or exhibitors, etc. It is important that you respect the confidentiality of the organisation and do not share sensitive work matters with others outside VAS Gallery. Please use your better judgement to determine what you do or don’t reveal to others, and if you are unsure, ask a VAS staff member.

Conflict of Interest

There may be times when you encounter information that creates a conflict of interest between yourself and the organisation. For instance, you may be asked to work on a document that involves a close friend who has applied for an exhibition. At times such as these, it is best to ask a staff member whether it is appropriate for you to work on the material in question, or to extricate yourself from the situation. These are simple but important measures you can take to protect your professional reputation and the organisation.