Opinion pieces

• Foreign aid pledge critical to our region

  Posted: Tuesday, 10 April 2012

  By Tim Costello, chief executive of World Vision Australia

  Published in the Herald Sun, Tuesday 10 April 2012

  Australia is a generous nation, right? We give a lot of our wealth to poor nations. Some think we give too much.

  So just how much aid do we give? If you lined up 200, 50 cent coins on the ground and said that represented our annual national income. How many of these 50 cent coins would we give in overseas aid? Would we give ten coins, or five or even just one? The answer is actually, less than one 50 cent coin. Our current level of overseas aid sits at just 35 cents per every $100 of gross national income.

  In fact in the league ladder of rich nations, which was released this week, Australia languishes in 13th place out of the 23 OECD nations and WELL below the average of ...

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• Bittersweet story of chocolate

  Posted: Monday, 9 April 2012

  By Tim Costello, chief executive of World Vision Australia

  Published on The Drum, Monday 9 April 2012

  No doubt after Easter Sunday, there are a few of us feeling a bit guilty about overindulging in one or two too many chocolates.

  Yet most of us will be shocked to learn that there is another unfortunate impact from our annual splurge on chocolate eggs and bunnies every Easter.

  Indeed when you look at the facts, it is clear that much of the chocolate we consume in Australia will have cocoa in it that has been tainted by the use of child and trafficked labourers.

  An estimated 70 per cent of the world's cocoa supplies come from two countries in West Africa, Ghana and the Ivory Coast.

  Research undertaken by Tulane University in New Orleans found that between 2007 and 2008 almost two million children were working on cocoa-related activities in Ghana ...

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• Immediate action on West Africa food crisis can save lives

  Posted: Thursday, 29 March 2012

  By Tim Costello, chief executive for World Vision Australia

  Published by The Australian World Commentary Online on Thursday March 29, 2012

  LAST year the world waited and watched as thousands of people starved to death and millions went hungry as a result of a devastating food crisis that gripped East Africa.

  Some 13 million people in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya went hungry and even six months after a famine was officially declared by the United Nations in Somalia 250,000 still faced imminent death.

  In a recent report condemning the inaction around that famine, former UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Jan Egeland, said: "the fact this needless haemorrhage of lives took place in spite of all our knowledge and experience is an outrage".

  The report, "A Dangerous Delay: The cost of late response to early warnings in the 2011 drought in the Horn of Africa", released by Oxfam and Save the Children, ...

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• Charities must work hard to restore the sacred trust

  Posted: Sunday, 11 March 2012

  By Tim Costello, chief executive for World Vision Australia

  Published by The Sunday Telegraph on Sunday March 11, 2012

  The Federal Government’s new charities commission should play a key role in promoting transparency across the sector and to expose the unethical practices of the minority.

  Charities operate on a ‘sacred trust’ from the Australian community. They rely on their good name and on delivering the promise that the funds they receive get to those who are in need.

  Any breach of this trust by a charity or an allegation made against one charity – impacts all charities.

  The special series by The Sunday Telegraph focusing on charities in Australia has made some alarming claims.  While I am not convinced the alleged practices are widespread in the sector in Australia, if such practices are happening anywhere they must be stamped out.

  Donors must be sure their money gets to those in need, ...

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• “I hope to be someone who can make a difference in people's lives, whether through my work or through my personal relationships"

  Posted: Friday, 9 March 2012

  By Michelle Lokot, Gender Advisor for World Vision Australia

  Published on mamamia.com.au on Thursday March 8, 2012

  What hopes and dreams do you hold for your children’s future? Perhaps it is a hope that they will find a loving relationship, a meaningful job or financial security. Perhaps it is simply that they will find a path that makes them happy.

  In my line of work as a gender advisor for World Vision Australia, I hear a lot about the hopes and dreams of girls and women in the developing world. And yet, when World Vision recently asked female staff from around the world to share their aspirations, I still found myself a little surprised by how much their answers resonated with my own views of the future.

  “I need to give my children a good education so they look after their own lives in the future,’’ said one woman from ...

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• Schools neglect Pacific cultures

  Posted: Friday, 2 March 2012

  Published in the Canberra Times, February 27 2012

  For many of us studying geography may be just a distant memory of pouring over maps of ‘mountains and rivers’. Of course, today our geography curriculum is a key part of preparing students for the increasingly globalised world of the twenty-first century.

  It’s why the draft Australian Geography curriculum from the Australian Curriculum Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) is so important. It was released in October last year and consultation closes later this month (Ed: Feb). It is due to be introduced into schools next year.

  While the draft curriculum is to be commended for having a global focus, there are some rather glaring omissions.

  The new draft geography curriculum fails to include any study of our own Pacific region. Despite our important trade, aid, migration, sporting, military and tourism links with countries like Papua New Guinea, Fiji, New Zealand and the Solomon ...

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• Coles, Woolies shoot each other, but farmers get shot

  Posted: Wednesday, 8 February 2012

  Published on The Punch, Wednesday 8 February 2012.

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  By Tim Costello, Chief Executive of World Vision Australia.

   

  Last week Coles announced that it plans to cut the price of fruit and vegetables by up to 50 per cent. Its major competitor, Woolworths soon followed. The price war sounds like great news for Australian consumers. But while it may provide relief to hip-pockets around the country in the short-term, questions are now being asked about the true impact of bargain basement pricing.

  For most Australians, grocery shopping is a chore we have to squeeze into our busy lives. We rush up and down the aisles, tossing products into our trolley while we mentally juggle the household budget and keep the kids entertained. With all that in mind, it’s not surprising that we embrace bargains, specials and sales with enthusiasm.

  But how often do we stop to consider the impact our ...

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• Myanmar deserves all our support

  Posted: Tuesday, 7 February 2012

  Published in the Canberra Times on Tuesday 7 February 2012.

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  By Tim Costello, Chief Executive of World Vision Australia.

   

  I recently returned from Myanmar. The last time I was in the impoverished country it was in the wake of Cyclone Nargis in 2008. What I saw then was utter devastation, what I experienced was extreme frustration.

  Cyclone Nargis killed 133,000 people and affected an estimated 2.4 million people. World Vision had been granted permission to distribute blankets and rice, but at the time very few aid agencies were granted access to the country for their staff or their supplies.

  The scale of need and suffering was almost overwhelming as survivors faced a terrible struggle.

  Now the picture in Myanmar couldn't be more different. Myanmar has undergone a remarkable transformation and promising signs are emerging.

  In 2008, a whisper of the name Aung San Sun Kyi in private conversation ...

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• Despite financial woes we can be more giving

  Posted: Friday, 23 December 2011

  Published in the West Australian on Friday 23 December 2011.

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  By Tim Costello, Chief Executive of World Vision Australia.

  
  It’s almost Christmas and like many other charities, World Vision is out among the hoards of ‘festive’ shoppers trying to raise money for our Christmas appeal.
  
  I have always praised Australians for being an incredibly compassionate and generous lot when it comes to responding to humanitarian disasters, be they floods or fires at home, or earthquakes or famine abroad.
  
  And historically Australians have proven to be among the world’s most generous private givers to overseas aid organisations such as World Vision.
  
  Yet this year it appears things are tougher than ever. There are more charities than ever vying for funds. Many people are opting for a one off donation rather than making a commitment to sponsor a child this Christmas.
  
  It reflects the tough economic environment many charities have confronted ...

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• Kind hearts or a dead giveaway?

  Posted: Friday, 23 December 2011

  By Tim Costello, Chief Executive of World Vision Australia. Published in The Age on Friday 23 December 2011
  
  Every little bit helps in a needy world, but surely we could do better, writes, Tim Costello.
  
  In the mountainous state of Nagaland, in far north-eastern India, they have a unique tradition. It is called the Feast of Merit. To host a Feast of Merit, one must invite the whole village to a feast and that feast continues until all your assets have been liquidated, your livestock, your grains, everything.
  
  Then you start again with nothing. In Nagaland, those who host the Feast of Merit are given a beautiful gold coat and hold the highest position of honour in the village. When I visited Nagaland in 2004, I was asked if Australia also had a similar tradition. I replied: "I am pretty sure we don't."
  
  This rare story of giving may seem ...

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• Asia-Pacific aid boost makes sense

  Posted: Wednesday, 30 November 2011

  By Tim Costello and Andrew Hewett
  
  * Andrew Hewett, executive director of Oxfam Australia and Tim Costello, chief executive of World Vision Australia are co-chairs of Make Poverty History and
   
  Published in The Australian on Wednesday 30 November, 2011
  
  It took the international ‘summit season’, a visit by President Obama and the prospect of a reversal on our ban on sales of uranium to India to finally put foreign affairs on the national political landscape.
  
  And when it did come into the spotlight the focus was squarely on the importance of the Asia Pacific region.  ‘The Asian Century’, ‘The China Century’ or ‘America’s pivot to the Asia Pacific’ dominated debate.
  
  The focus on our region is belated but welcome. Yet it is short-sighted if we just limit such a debate to issues of diplomacy and defence. In absolute numbers, there are more people living in poverty in the Asia ...

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• Climate reports strengthen action and support efforts

  Posted: Wednesday, 30 November 2011

  Published on The Drum, ABC online on Monday 28 November, 2011
  
  In the muddied, often toxic climate change debate, it is difficult from media reports to work out the significance of the latest round of expert findings. But on the eve of the next international climate change forum at Durban in South Africa we have seen in recent weeks the release of three key reports. And what is clear is that each report challenges some of the justifications made for delaying decisive action against climate change.
  
  First was the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) World Energy Outlook 2011. The IEA is an autonomous organisation with 28 mainly high-income member countries including Australia. By no stretch of the imagination could the IEA be called a radical green organisation. But in its report it made two startling points :
  
  Firstly, that the world’s current energy trajectory, even allowing for recent government policy commitments ...

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• Website focus on charities a timely contribution to a sacred trust

  Posted: Wednesday, 26 October 2011

  Published in the Daily Telegraph and the Courier Mail on Wednesday 26 October, 2011

  The move to make Australia’s charities more accountable with the establishment of a ‘my-school’ type website is to be applauded.

  Charities such as World Vision, which is Australia’s largest overseas aid and development agency,  are built upon a ‘sacred trust’ in which donors expect their hard earned dollars to make a very real difference in the lives of those in need.

  Donors are right to expect greater transparency. This is true now, more than ever, as charities in Australia experience a significant funding squeeze as the rising cost of living and ‘compassion fatigue’ starts to bite.

  But it should be noted that there are also dangers when charities embark on a race to the bottom to boast the lowest overheads. And such league tables can encourage donors to ask the wrong questions when they are assessing where ...

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• Dollar-for-dollar hope for the Horn of Africa

  Posted: Wednesday, 26 October 2011

  Published on the ABC Online on Friday 14 October, 2011
  
  Media coverage has swirled around virtually every movement of Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd. Yet amid the substantial media coverage, last week there was one announcement that got rather scant attention.
  
  It was the Federal Government’s commitment to match the donations of individuals to Australian aid agencies responding the East African famine, dollar for dollar, during October and November. Mr Rudd told a media conference the government would match “however much is raised”.
  
  It is hard to underestimate the scale of the disaster that is unfolding in the Horn of Africa. I was shattered by the scenes I witnessed when I visited Dadaab, the massive refugee camp in eastern Kenya, close to the Somalia border just over a month ago. It is one of the most heart-wrenching humanitarian crises I have ever witnessed.
  
  There are moments in our history where the ...

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• A boom for philanthropy?

  Posted: Wednesday, 5 October 2011

  Published in The West Australian on Wednesday 5 October, 2011

  Western Australia is at an unprecedented point in history. It sits at the centre of a resources boom, perfectly placed in the region during the “Asian century” and blessed by social and political stability.
  
  Of course today’s mining boom is not the first Australia has experienced. My home state of Victoria benefited spectacularly from the gold rush of the 1850s. Yet what many people don’t know is that this boom - more than 150 years ago - created a lasting legacy of philanthropy that can be witnessed today.
  
  It’s a remarkable thing that Victoria with just 25% of Australia’s population remains such a strong epicentre of philanthropy, accounting for over half of the philanthropic trusts in Australia.
  
  And it was the gold rush philanthropy that set the example and got the ball rolling. They started something that still echoes in ...

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• Poor will pay the price to cut emissions

  Posted: Wednesday, 15 June 2011

  While Australians grapple with the idea of putting a price on carbon and the impact on their fuel and grocery bills, in many developing countries the choice looks more like a trade-off between national development out of poverty and global action to limit climate change.

  In Brazil this month, the 75-year-old Forest Code has been amended in ways that environmentalists argue is likely to lead to faster deforestation of the Amazon rainforests, the so-called “lungs of the earth”, a change pushed by the agricultural sector.

  In developing countries, greenhouse gas emissions don’t primarily gush from power stations but from land-use: from the forest burning traditions of subsistence farmers in Asia to the large=scale clearing of forest in South America to produce commodities for export.

  The prices for beef, soybeans, corn, oranges continues to climb, driving the pressure to push farming deeper into rainforest; in much of the world, land and ...

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• Labour trafficking, not sex trafficking needs more attention

  Posted: Wednesday, 15 June 2011

  Stories of girls as young as five found exploited and abused in brothels have been splashed across our screens for the past 10 years.

  These stories are shocking and deserve the media's scrutiny, but this shining light on one dark corner of our world has meant an even larger issue has not been given the attention it needs and deserves.

  A new World Vision report, released on Sunday for World Day Against Child Labour, shows the trafficking of men, women and children for labour exploitation is far more widespread than sex trafficking. The report also highlights the fact that for every trafficking victim subjected to forced prostitution nine people are forced to work.

  Labour trafficking can be found in developing countries in places like brick or garment factories, on fishing boats and farms or in people's homes – but there are also cases right here in Australia. Victims often work long hours ...

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• Helping those beyond our shores is good business

  Posted: Monday, 30 May 2011

  By Simon McKeon, Australian of the Year

  Simon McKeon, 2011 Australian of the Year and former World Vision Australia Board Member, suggests that at less than 1% of the recent Federal Budget, Australia's overseas aid program is both the right thing to do and a sound investment, because it's contributing to the economic health and stability of our neighbours.
  
  How does a Federal Budget reflect what it means to be Australian? How does it help to define our national identity, our place in the world?
  
  There is a part of the Budget that does all this. It is a very small part – less than 1% – and in an environment where divisive politics often prevails, it is arguably unique in that it constructively has bipartisan support.
   
  It is our Official Development Assistance program – our aid spending – and the ongoing commitment of both sides of Australian politics ...

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• The moral cost of cutting aid

  Posted: Tuesday, 10 May 2011

  Many Australians think we are the St Vincent de Paul of the world. When disaster strikes Australia responds. When there are poor communities in need we are only too eager to help. It's the Aussie way and perhaps even a responsibility for us as "The Lucky Country".

  With such an understanding, you can't really blame people - who are now doing it tough - to argue we shouldn't keep sending a 'big chunk' of our national earnings overseas. We should keep it for ourselves - after all doesn't charity begin at home?

  Doesn't floods and bushfires at home trump our need to respond overseas?

  There is no better time to ask such as question as a government-commissioned independent review of the nation's $4 billion overseas aid budget is poised to pass judgement on the nature, shape and effectiveness of the aid we give.

  We are also on the eve of ...

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• Our guilty pleasure at Easter

  Posted: Thursday, 21 April 2011

  Like many Australians - both young and old - I’m looking forward to tucking into a few chocolate eggs this Sunday. I love chocolate and it’s hard to imagine a world without it – especially at Easter.

  Of course chocolate is big business, last financial year, Australians spent almost $1.3 billion on it. For many of us chocolate is our guilty pleasure.

  But beyond the few extra unwanted kilograms chocolate may bring, there is another far sinister guilt we, often unknowingly perpetrate, and that is the use of child labour that is involved in the supply chain of almost all the chocolate we eat.

  The cocoa used to make big brand chocolate is regularly harvested in part by children and trafficked labourers in West Africa, where more than 70 percent of the world’s cocoa is sourced. 

  Research undertaken by Tulane University in New Orleans found that from 2007 until 2008, ...

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