Responding to today’s launch of the Australian Council for International Development’s (ACFID’s) independent review into prevention of sexual misconduct, Oxfam Australia Chief Executive Dr Helen Szoke said: “Oxfam welcome’s ACFID independent review into the prevention of sexual misconduct in the development sector. It’s critical that we do everything we can to ensure that those with […]
First published in The Herald Sun newspaper on 21 May 2018 The impending monsoon rains are bearing down on the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh and there’s no getting around it – it’s going to be a really tough time. I’ve just returned to Melbourne from three weeks working for Oxfam’s Rohingya crisis response team. […]
Oxfam today warned that prolonged closure of crossings into Gaza could cut Palestinians from essential goods such as fuel and food and threatens to further deteriorate what is already a dire humanitarian situation. Oxfam’s Country Director for the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel Chris Eijkemans said Israel’s 10-year blockade of Gaza had caused infrastructure and services to collapse, provoking a […]
Leading Australian fashion names lagging behind their industry counterparts must step up after another two popular brands joined a vital new safety accord to protect the workers making our clothes, Oxfam Australia said today. Oxfam Australia Chief Executive Helen Szoke congratulated Workwear Group, owner of Hard Yakka and KingGee, and Licensing Essentials, which produces merchandise […]
Commenting on the 2018 Federal Budget, Oxfam Australia Chief Executive Dr Helen Szoke said: “The lack of significant funding commitments in this Budget to address the worsening health and unacceptable disadvantage, poverty and discrimination faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples is deeply concerning. “In a Budget that claims to deliver for the battlers, […]
Tonight’s Budget confirms the Federal Government’s continued gouging of the aid budget, an action at odds with the vision it holds for a peaceful and prosperous region, Oxfam Australia said tonight. Oxfam Australia Chief Executive Helen Szoke said the Federal Budget had kept the aid budget roughly in line with inflation at $4 billion, equating […]
Commenting on reports over the weekend that the Australian Government would provide an extra $15 million in funding for the Rohingya refugee crisis, Oxfam Australia Humanitarian Manager Meg Quartermaine said: “Oxfam Australia welcomes the commitment of additional humanitarian funding from our Federal Government as the Rohingya refugee camps prepare for the monsoon season. “While we […]
Damage and fear caused by the first rains of the monsoon season in the Rohingya refugee camps are an ominous warning of what is to come, Oxfam said today. Oxfam’s Rohingya Response Advocacy Manager Dorothy Sang said the worst was still to come when the monsoon season hits Bangladesh with full ferocity from late May […]
On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the tragic Rana Plaza factory collapse, leading Australian clothing brands that have stubbornly and shamefully refused to sign a critical safety accord are being urged to live up to their responsibilities. Thirteen prominent Australian organisations have united to call on Australian brands that are lagging behind the […]
Responding to remarks made overnight in London by Australia’s Minister for International Development and the Pacific that “it could be politically difficult to increase aid spending” because of a perceived lack of public support, Oxfam Australia Chief Executive Helen Szoke said: “Oxfam is alarmed by claims made overnight by Minister for International Development and the […]