WHAT WE STAND FOR at Australian Red Cross
Advocate of the vulnerable We’re improving the lives of vulnerable people through mobilising the power of humanity. We save lives and support people before and after disasters strike. We work to alleviate suffering during wars and conflict and promote humanitarian laws and values. We advocate based on direct experience and evidence, and empower people to speak out and take action to improve their lives. We are bound by our Fundamental Principles of Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary service, Unity and Universality. We are a voice for humanity. Our communications are guided by our principles so that we keep the confidence of all. This supports our ability, and that of the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, to continue to alleviate suffering wherever it may be found, in Australia or overseas. And we work with others to create an Australia that is caring, welcoming and allows everyone to thrive—even in the toughest of times.
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Our Strategy 2020 has six ambitious goals that are driving us. We want to mobilise 2.5 million volunteers, help 3 million Australians become prepared for emergencies and design programs with our clients so they can thrive.
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Australians need to be better prepared for disasters Problem
How do we get there?
Australians are facing greater danger from more frequent and
• We encourage the Federal Government to increase spending on
severe natural disasters because of climate change and other
preventing and reducing the risks of disasters from $50 million
factors. Natural disasters are estimated to cost the Australian
to $200 million per year.
economy $9 billion a year but the true cost is much greater because of the long-term effects on people’s lives.
• Australians think about how they would cope with an emergency—an Australian Red Cross RediPlan from redcross.org.au/prepare can help.
Solution
• We remember easy steps to prepare for an emergency such as
Every Australian should prepare for an emergency and
getting to know our neighbours, writing down important phone
governments should help safeguard our communities by
numbers and listing the things we can’t replace.
dramatically increasing investment in reducing the risks of disasters and community resilience.
• Learn first aid via redcross.org.au/first-aid or the Australian Red Cross First Aid app.
Imagine if…
Facts
Every Australian is prepared for an emergency: whether it’s a fire,
• One in three Australians will be threatened by, or face an
flood or personal crisis.
emergency in their lifetime. • Every dollar spent on disaster risk reduction in Australia can save between $3 and $8. • Currently 91% of disaster funding is spent on response and recovery, with only 9% on mitigation.
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Photo: Australian Red Cross/Amelia Wong
• By 2050, disasters will cost Australia an estimated $33 billion a year.
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Fair go for migrants Problem
• We work with governments and businesses to find ways for
Migrants can face exploitation, detention and uncertainty, together
migrants to connect, build confidence, enter and remain in
with extreme poverty and constant insecurity. In Australia, many
the workforce.
migrants can’t access basic support services such as housing and health care.
• Connections are built between people who have just arrived and those already established in Australia.
Solution
Facts
We can work together to ensure migrants are treated with dignity;
• We're a nation of migrants. One in four of us are born overseas.
that our neighbourhoods are safer and more welcoming; and that
Around 30% of households speak a language other than
our policies protect people in and outside our borders.
English at home. • Worldwide, 65 million people have been forced from their
Imagine if…
homes by violence and persecution. In 2016, Australia took
We welcome new arrivals and make our society stronger through
in just over 17,000.
their contributions to our communities.
• Four out of five Australians have never met a refugee or asylum seeker.
How do we get there? Photo: ©Conor Ashleigh/British Red Cross
• Detention is used as a last resort and for the shortest time possible. People in detention are treated humanely at all times.
• Nearly half of all Australians (46%) are willing to help new arrivals settle in but don’t know how. • In 2016, Red Cross offered emergency relief to more than 2,200
• No children are held in detention.
migrants with nowhere to go. The majority of them had no work
• We advocate for asylum seekers waiting on visa outcomes to
rights or government support and were living in destitution.
be able to work and access the same benefits as other people on low incomes.
• While many migrants find it difficult to secure a job, a helping hand early on in the search makes success far more likely. 7
The most excluded, vulnerable and lonely can thrive Problem Many Australians experience persistent complex challenges that
• Help new arrivals to settle in; with a warm welcome, a listening ear, practical advice or a foot in the door to a job or training.
shut them out of opportunities available to others. Without friends
• More people volunteer with Red Cross, especially those who
and community connections, it’s much harder to raise a family and
have experienced social exclusion and have real insights
cope with life’s daily challenges, let alone survive a crisis.
which could help others.
Solution
Facts
Reach out to Australia’s most excluded people, supporting them
• One in four Australian adults (4.5 million people) experience
to live safely and well.
social exclusion. • 5% of us (860,000 people) are deeply socially excluded.
Imagine if…
• Many factors contribute to exclusion and loneliness: age and
We all made the time to connect with a lonely or deeply excluded
isolation, disability, mental ill-health, homelessness, geographic
person in our neighbourhood.
remoteness, poverty, racism, language barriers and lack of access to digital technologies.
• We find a way to help those who are falling through the gaps in our welfare and community programs. • We make connections. Get to know our neighbours, say hello
• Loneliness is twice as likely to cause an early death as obesity; isolation has the same impact on health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. • In an emergency, your neighbour is likely to reach you faster than
to new families at our children’s school, or reach out to someone
emergency services. After an emergency, people who receive
who might be going through a hard time.
support from their family, friends or community recover much better and faster than those who don’t.
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Photo: ©Conor Ashleigh/British Red Cross
How do we get there?
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Smarter justice and safer communities Problem
Facts
Our justice system often entrenches disadvantage, costs
• 30% of adults behind bars are accused of relatively minor crimes
$4.4 billion per year and 40% of prisoners return to prison
such as traffic offences, theft, failure to attend court or drug use
within a year.
and 45% are in prison for non-violent crimes. • 77% of young people are in custody for non-violent crimes.
Solution We work together to prevent vulnerable people and young people going to prison unnecessarily.
• If the imprisonment rate was reduced by just 2% a year, Australia would save almost $2.3 billion over five years. • Imprisonment rates are at a 10-year high. In June 2016, more than 38,000 people were in prison; 31% had not yet been sentenced.
Imagine if…
• Prisons aren’t stopping people from offending or making our
Governments invest in supporting people to make positive
communities safer. 40% of people return to prison within a year
contributions to society instead of building and maintaining prisons.
of release. • People most likely to be jailed are from disadvantaged
How do we get there?
backgrounds, have mental health issues, have experienced
• We support education, mental health, drug and alcohol treatment
physical or sexual abuse and have low education levels.
and parenting programs.
Photo: Australian Red Cross/Lara Cole
• We give people a second chance after they’ve served their sentence by helping them find jobs and making them feel welcomed back into their communities.
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are 13 times more likely to be jailed than non-Indigenous people. More than half of children in prison are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. • Up to 12% of people in prison have an intellectual disability and up to 30% have a borderline intellectual disability.
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Intelligent Aid Problem
Facts
The human, economic and social cost of disasters in the Pacific is too high.
• Every year, disasters cost the world $250–$300 billion and displace more than 26 million people.
Solution We invest in the Pacific before emergencies strike.
• Pacific economies are especially vulnerable. In 2015, Cyclone Pam cost Vanuatu 60% of its GDP. • Every $1 spent on preparing for disasters overseas saves $7.
Imagine if… We bring technology, law, science, and business together to design a more intelligent approach to aid.
• It can take several days to complete disaster assessments on Pacific islands and weeks for relief supplies to arrive. • Improving disaster response by even one day can shorten the postdisaster recovery period by 1,000 days.
How do we get there? • We trial new ways of financing disaster preparedness, as well as low-cost insurance products that help families, business and governments bounce back faster. • Drones and smartphone apps are used to collect data more quickly after disasters. • All Pacific nations have effective disaster laws. • Unsolicited donations of goods are stopped and local businesses supply everything their communities need. • We recognise that the aid sector cannot solve these problems alone. • We work with partners in technology, law, science, finance and business to join us in finding solutions. 12
• 70% of countries in the Asia-Pacific region have no comprehensive laws to guide how they respond to disasters. • Unwanted donations of goods are a major problem. After Cyclone Winston, 133 shipping containers of clothing and shoes were sent to Fiji. Most of these ended up as landfill.
Promoting peace and reducing suffering in times of war Problem
• We train Australians operating in conflict zones to use IHL and
The laws of war are continually under pressure, putting local
work closely with decision makers to ensure Australian IHL law
populations, medical personnel and aid workers at unacceptable
and policy is comprehensive.
risk. In addition, the existence of nuclear weapons continues to threaten our very existence.
• We work with our Movement partners to promote key initiatives such as Health Care in Danger.
Solution
Facts
Every Australian, especially those who legislate, implement, use and
• There are 16,000 nuclear weapons in the world and even a
rely on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) should understand that even wars have laws.
limited nuclear exchange would cause unspeakable suffering. • According to Global Zero, about 320 military incidents occured between 2014–2016 involving nuclear-armed states.
Imagine if… The planet was free of the threat of nuclear weapons, the immense suffering caused by armed conflict was reduced and peace lasted longer.
• 132 states have participated in UN negotiations to end nuclear weapons. • In 2014–15, there were 594 reported attacks on health care in 19 countries, resulting in 959 deaths and 1,561 injuries.
Photo: Australian Red Cross/Conor Ashleigh
• Australians are unsure why IHL matters. 57% of Australians think How do we get there?
torturing captured soldiers should not be allowed and 21% think
• Nations support the prohibition of nuclear weapons leading
it is okay.
towards total elimination. • Australians are urged to help us protect the emblem that protects lives—to understand that, in times of war, a red cross
• More Australians (23%) believe that torturing a captured soldier is acceptable than people from Syria (20%), Russia (20%), China (15%) and South Sudan (18%).
on a white background means ‘don’t shoot’ and #notatarget. 13
Take action now Let’s dramatically boost the power of good, improve our
Learn First Aid
neighbourhoods and connect our communities.
You could save a life in an emergency by learning first aid. Go to redcross.org.au/first-aid or download the Australian Red Cross
Volunteer
First Aid app.
It’s easier than you think and can be done in four quick steps. You can give as little or as much time as you like. And, if there
Donate
isn’t a volunteer role for you now, you can register your interest
You may not have the time to get involved but you can still help
for future opportunities.
Red Cross walk alongside the most vulnerable people here and
Think about getting your company involved too. It will improve
across our region. Choose the way you want to give at
its place in the community and keep staff happy and motivated.
redcross.org.au/donate.
Drop into a Red Cross office, go to redcross.org.au or call 1800 811 700. Do a RediPlan From natural disasters to a family crisis – doing an Australian Red Cross RediPlan will help you recover faster.
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Photo: Australian Red Cross/Dan Carter
Get yours at redcross.org.au/prepare.
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POWER OF HUMANITY Australian Red Cross is part of the world’s largest humanitarian organisation with millions of volunteers who operate in 190 countries. Red Cross is uniquely positioned as an independent organisation with no political, religious or cultural affiliation. OUR VISION To improve the lives of vulnerable people in Australia and internationally
General inquiries 1800 811 700 contactus@redcross.org.au Media inquiries
by mobilising the power of humanity. OUR MISSION To be a leading humanitarian organisation in Australia, improving the lives of vulnerable people through the programs we deliver and the promotion of humanitarian laws and values.
+61 2 8265 3074 (diverts to mobile after hours) media@redcross.org.au
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National Office 155 Pelham St, Carlton, VIC, 3053 redcross.org.au
Photo: Australian Red Cross/ Neil Pretila
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