The G8 leaders need to immediately agree short-term targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 or tip the balance irreversibly towards dangerous climate change.
As millions of people across this region struggle to find enough food to eat each day, Kevin Rudd must use his influence as a regional leader to ensure G8 places the world’s food crisis at the top of its agenda this week.
Australia faces geo-political and economic risk if it does not help its developing neighbour-countries to cope with climate change.
The stark analysis of the regional risk to Australia comes in today’s draft report from Professor Ross Garnaut, which says if the impact of climate change on the poorer countries in our region is not mitigated, ‘the problems of our neighbours would inevitably become our problems’.
The Rudd Government’s response to the Garnaut draft report this Friday must tackle the injustice at the heart of climate change ‘ that poor people in developing countries, who are the most affected, are least responsible for causing climate change.
The biofuel policies of developed countries like the US and the EU have dragged more than 30 million extra people into poverty according to a report released today by international aid agency Oxfam.
Unlike many other developed countries, Australia has not set mandatory targets for biofuel production or use. This is encouraging. The Australian Government should not to go down that path.
The Rudd Government’s decision to support a vote today in parliament to look at developing measures that prevent the involvement or complicity of an Australian company in the abuse of human rights is a good step forward, Oxfam Australia said today.
A dangerous gap exists in Australia’s refugee system that means people threatened with torture and gross human rights violations are being sent back to their country of origin after years in detention centres because they do not fit the technical definition of a "refugee", according to a joint report by refugee policy group A Just Australia (AJA) and Oxfam released today.
Many Australian corporations are doing great work overseas. They are investing in developing countries, providing job opportunities to local people and working closely with local community organisations.
Some Australian companies, however, are also ignoring people’s most basic human rights.
Oxfam Australia launches a webpage where Ugandan refugees and Australians post comments to each other on a website.