THE looming cuts to aid in tonight’s Federal Budget pose a risk to the ability of aid agencies to prepare for and respond to disasters, Oxfam has warned.
Oxfam is currently responding to the worst earthquake in Nepal for 80 years, the devastation caused in Vanuatu by Cyclone Pam, and is still helping communities rebuild their lives after Typhoon Haiyan in The Philippines.
Oxfam Australia’s Chief Executive Dr Helen Szoke said that Australian aid had helped Oxfam to become a proven humanitarian responder, enabling it to deliver quality humanitarian response around the world in emergencies such as Nepal.
“Sustainable, predictable funding to NGOs makes us more capable of quick response, particularly if we have long-term development and disaster preparedness programs already in the country – we can then be much more efficient in delivering immediate assistance,” Dr Szoke said.
“It will be difficult for aid agencies like ours to prepare communities for natural disasters and to respond to them when they happen if the $1 billion in aid cuts is not reversed.
“In Vanuatu when Cyclone Pam hit, we were already on the ground working with communities and the government to prepare for and coordinate our immediate response.”
Dr Szoke said the Federal Government was planning a Budget that would deliver massive cuts to Australian aid that would set the country on a path to deliver the lowest level of aid in our nation’s history.
“Not only will we see cuts to long-term aid programs that provide safe water, get kids into school and provide the boost people need to turn their lives around, we will also be less ready to respond when disaster strikes,” Dr Szoke said.
“Australians know the importance of responding to disasters and lending a helping hand; the public’s response to the Nepal and Vanuatu disasters proves this. These cuts could diminish our ability to respond to future emergencies.
“Australia is surrounded by poorer nations – 18 of our closest neighbours are developing countries.
“In an interconnected world, their prosperity and security is our prosperity and security. We must not abandon them.
“We cannot run and hide from a world where humanitarian disasters and crises are growing. If the Government does not reverse its aid cuts, that is exactly what it will be doing.”
Source: Oxfam Australia
Ryan Fritz
Ryan Fritz started The Advocate in 2014 to provide not-for-profits and charities another media platform to tell their worthwhile hard news stories and opinion pieces effortlessly. In 2020, Ryan formed a team of volunteer journalists to help spread even more high-quality stories from the third sector. He also has over 10 years experience as a media and communications professional for not-for-profits and charities and currently works at Redkite, a childhood cancer charity.
