Oxfam Australia » Campaigns and advocacy

Pakistan floods – freeze debts to allow more money for health

International aid agencies Oxfam, Fred Hollows Foundation, and World Vision have joined with delegates at a United Nations’ health conference in Melbourne, Australia to call for the international community to freeze Pakistan’s debt and do more to help the country cope with the devastating effects of widespread flooding.

Smith and Bishop miss opportunity to increase aid, but Coalition’s Aid Minister a welcome development

Stephen Smith and Julie Bishop missed a crucial opportunity to commit to further lifting Australia’s foreign aid spending to match comparable wealthy countries at today’s election debate, international aid agency Oxfam Australia said.

Let’s truly move forward to help asylum seekers

The issue of asylum seekers is, without a doubt, a complicated one. International law and emotive political rhetoric make it so. There are no hard and fast answers but there are, dare I say it, ways to truly move forward on the issue.

The Aussies and Kiwis shouldn’t leave island neighbours high and dry

Prime Minister Julia Gillard won’t be attending a meeting of Pacific island leaders this week (Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 August) – despite the fact that she is currently at the helm of the Pacific Islands Forum.

Broken promises

It's true that people in poor countries on our doorstep won't be voting for either Julia Gillard or Tony Abbott later this month. But Australians who care about doing the right thing will be. So it's no reason for either of the leaders to abandon all mention, during this election campaign, of meeting Australia's international obligations on climate change, or for not putting up policies that will genuinely reduce Australia's emissions to the degree that is required.

Abbott’s cuts to aid budget a broken promise to world’s poor

Coalition costings submitted to Treasury yesterday show Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has broken his promise to match the Government’s commitments on overseas aid, Oxfam Australia said today.

Asylum seekers: the way forward

A comprehensive regional approach to asylum seekers must be adopted by whoever wins the election if there is to be any hope of truly moving forward on this complicated issue.

Labor’s ‘cop out’ climate change policy spells another disaster for world’s poor

Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s announcements on climate change this morning further cement Australia’s position as an international laggard on climate change action and condemn the world’s poorest to continuing climate crises.

New law ends secrecy in oil, gas and mining industries

International mining companies, including some Australian companies, will now have to disclose all payments made to the governments of countries in which they operate, as the result of a new law passed by the US Congress yesterday.

No more empty promises: Afghans want to see real action now

The Kabul Conference to be held this week must be a turning point not another wasted opportunity, international aid agency Oxfam said.

PM must explain how new asylum seekers plan differs from Pacific Solution

Prime Minister Julia Gillard must explain how her plans for a regional processing centre in East Timor differ from the discredited ‘Pacific Solution’, international aid agency Oxfam Australia said today.

PM should focus on region rather than borders in asylum seeker debate

Prime Minister Julia Gillard should use today’s expected announcement on asylum seeker policy to commit to a broader, regional approach in an effort to create long-term, sustainable solutions for asylum seekers and refugees, international aid agency Oxfam Australia said.

West is proving a fair weather friend to the poor, by actor Bill Nighy

No one likes to think of themselves as a fair-weather friend. Being flaky in a crisis is not, after all, an attractive quality. But much as they might try to hide it when they meet in Canada this week, the world’s richest nations are proving themselves to be just that to the world’s poorest people: unreliable at a time when they are reeling from the economic crisis, climate change and food shortages.

Tax the rich to save the poor

The G20 is meeting this weekend at a crucial moment. Weighing on the minds of G20 leaders will be the European sovereign debt crisis, the continuing depth of the US recession and the lack of public financing following gigantic bail-outs to prop up the global finance sector.

Refugee reality comes to Canberra

International aid agency Oxfam Australia today called on Canberra’s politicians to step out of their offices and cross Lake Burley Griffin to experience life as a refugee in a mock refugee camp.

Two major reports highlight the need for a plan to achieve Indigenous health equality within a generation

The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Mr Anand Grover, has raised concerns that efforts to close the gap in Indigenous health are still not supported by a comprehensive national Indigenous health plan.

Bank Tax vital in the fight against poverty: Oxfam

A global tax on the world’s big banks to help poor countries survive the economic crisis must be urgently agreed, Oxfam said today ahead of the G20 meeting of Finance Ministers in South Korea.

Monday’s tragedy is a direct result of the Israeli blockade on Gaza, says Oxfam

Gaza, 2 June 2010 - Oxfam condemns Monday’s attack on the aid flotilla that resulted in the killing of a number of passengers and it links the tragedy to the failure of Israel and the international community to lift the three year blockade on the Gaza Strip.

Climate cash must not increase third world debt: new Oxfam report

Australia can advance the Copenhagen Accord and help re-build trust in the international process to fight climate change by committing climate finance to help poor countries deal with climate change at the UN climate negotiations which start in Bonn today (31 May), says Oxfam.

Come clean, Mr Abbott – are you breaking your promise to the world’s poor?

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott must come clean on whether he is proposing to cut spending to Australia’s aid program, Oxfam Australia said today.