Opinion pieces

101 - 110 of 143 results

Fair go a fallacy as self-interest trumps real need

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Ever since the Prime Minister called the election, I’ve had three words repeating in my head. Fair - By - Instinct. That’s how the PM described our nation and it’s an assessment I think most Australians would agree with. Fairness is the cornerstone of our constitution and our national identity. But as we head into an election year, I think we need to ask ourselves whether we really believe in a fair go for all.

Opinion Pieces, Poverty, Asia and the Pacific, Australian Government, Foreign Aid, Global Fund, Microsoft, Philanthropy, Tim Costello

Take a stand for the country we want to live in

Monday, December 24, 2012

For many Australians, 2012 has been a year of mixed blessings. The two-speed economy and international uncertainty have created challenges. The rising cost of living lingers in our minds, even keeps some of us awake at night. Our Federal Parliament has become toxic with genuine debate stifled by political interests.

Opinion Pieces, Poverty, Asia and the Pacific, Australian Government, Budget Cuts, Foreign Aid, Global Financial Crises, Philanthropy, Tim Costello

Time to put our hands up for health

Monday, November 12, 2012

The biggest killer of children under five isn’t malaria. It’s not diarrhoea, AIDS or measles. It’s pneumonia. In fact, pneumonia claims more lives than malaria, measles and AIDS combined.

Opinion Pieces, Water & sanitation, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and Carribean, Middle East, Eastern Europe & Central Asia, Child Deaths, Infant mortality, Millennium Development Goals, Pneumonia, Tim Costello

Time to give child labour the boot

Thursday, September 27, 2012

In its biggest week of the year, the AFL has had to respond to reports that it was using footballs stitched by Indian child labourers who are paid mere cents for the work.

Opinion Pieces, Child labour, Asia and the Pacific, AFL, Child Labour, Child Slavery, Cocoa Industry, Tim Costello

Papua New Guinea's future depends on Australia

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has just returned from a meeting with Pacific Island leaders where she announced a major aid initiative to tackle gender inequality. We know that promoting gender equity can increase economic prosperity and transform community well-being so the PM’s announcement is a great step forward. But having just visited the Pacific region, I am also struck by the immense challenge that lies ahead for our island neighbours, and the responsibility that Australia must face up to.

Opinion Pieces, Poverty, Asia and the Pacific, Australian Government, International Development, Julia Gillard, PNG, Tim Costello, Water and Sanitation

The more we have, the less we enjoy

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Australians have never appeared as grumpy or as disillusioned as they do today. Amid a prolonged global financial crisis, plunging consumer confidence, job losses, price rises and a toxic political environment, we are losing our sense of optimism.

Opinion Pieces, Poverty, Asia and the Pacific, Australian Government, Foreign Aid, Hope, Philanthropy, Tim Costello

Together we can make a difference in West Africa

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Niger is in the grip of a crippling drought, and hunger and loss is everywhere. It is one of the most unlikely places on the planet to find hope. And yet after spending several days in the country, the epicentre of the West African food crisis, that is exactly what I found.

Opinion Pieces, Famine, Africa, Foreign Aid, Tim Costello, West Africa Food Crises

When desperate men swap their daughters for goats

Thursday, June 14, 2012

What would you do if you looked out your front window and saw the child next door – the child who was once a healthy, energetic 11-year-old – search the bushes for insects to feed his youngest sister?

Opinion Pieces, Famine, Africa, Forced Marriage, Tim Costello, West Africa Food Crises

Pacific reaches crossroads, calls for new humanitarian engagement

Friday, June 1, 2012

For many Australians when they think of the Pacific they think of island paradises, cruises, and white sandy beaches. The reality, for the people of the Pacific, is starkly different. Some four million people across the Pacific, almost half of the entire population, are living in poverty. And tragically in some countries the numbers of child deaths and malnourishment near those of sub-Saharan Africa.

Opinion Pieces, Water & sanitation, Poverty, Asia and the Pacific, Child Deaths, Foreign Aid, Pacific, PNG, Solomon Islands, Tim Costello, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu

Foreign aid pledge critical to our region

Tuesday, April 10, 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?

Opinion Pieces, Poverty, Asia and the Pacific, Australian Government, Foreign Aid, Tim Costello