“Communities have the solutions, we help bring them together.” – Kari Edie, Australian Business Volunteers
There are many reasons a community may need the Australian Business Volunteers (ABV) – building resilience after a bushfire, bolstering local business or even assisting with water treatment options. Census data helps them understand population changes, workforce trends and local challenges, to help plan for the future.
“Rural Australia has the ideas, they know what they want. They know their region. They know their area. We bring the expertise to accelerate those ideas,” says Kari Edie, Head of Marketing and Communications at ABV.
The not-for-profit links communities with business experts to upskill organisations from Queensland’s Fraser and Central coasts to the rural towns of East and Central Gippsland. In what usually begins as a strategic plan for the future, volunteers ask questions like: what does the community need to thrive? And how can we get there?
Sometimes the answers are practical, like helping a main street business assess profit and loss. In East Gippsland they helped businesses learn about their disaster risk through an interactive hazard mapping tool. In one small town, they engaged their corporate partners to help solve a long-standing water treatment issue.
Before ABV can begin their work, they look to Census data. It helps find communities that need their help, to get a picture of the region, and to secure government support. It allows them to understand how Australia is changing, what challenges different areas of the country are facing and how they can grow their operations - that’s why every answer matters.
“Good programs need good data”, says CEO Liz Mackinlay, “This year’s Census will be critical to what we do.”
For ABV, data gives a detailed view of a place including age, income, employment, housing, disability, and cultural background. No two communities are the same, and as Australia changes economically, culturally and environmentally, the needs of regional communities are changing with it.
New data from the 2026 Census will help ABV keep pace. Allowing them to respond to emerging challenges, support more communities, and build resilience where it’s needed most.
