International alert series: The BIG Issues
A public forum for dialogue, discussion and questions
Beyond Tsunami
Presented by World Vision Australia and AusAID
and supported by The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre, UniSA
A series of bi-monthly forums on key international development issues involving and affecting the Australian community: July 2005 - October 2006
Tuesday 19 July 2005
Hear how Australia's major aid agencies and the Federal Government are using the money committed to rebuilding tsunami affected communities in the Asia Pacific region and what's already been achieved.
Speakers
- Mr Murray Proctor, Deputy Director General, Asia and Corporate Resources, AusAID
- Rev Tim Costello, CEO, World Vision Australia
- Mr Andrew Hewett, Executive Director, Oxfam Australia
- Mr Robert Tickner, CEO, Australian Red Cross [speech]
- Dr Robert Glasser, CEO, CARE Australia [summary]
- Mr Jack de Groot, Director, Caritas Australia [speech]
Where available, links to speaker presentations are shown
Beyond Tsunami audio transcript available here (18 Mb mp3 file)
Speaker details
Mr Murray Proctor, Deputy Director General, Asia and Corporate Resources, AusAID
BIOGRAPHY: Murray Proctor is Deputy Director General of the Asia Division
of AusAID, the Australian Government’s Agency for International Development.
His responsibilities include development cooperation programs with
Indonesia, Cambodia, China, Laos, East Timor, the Philippines and Vietnam as
well as Africa and South Asia. His division also includes Australia’s
regional development cooperation programs, which function within the
frameworks of ASEAN and APEC cooperation.
Previously he managed the Office of Review and Evaluation within AusAID,
undertaking impact and performance assessments of Australian aid. he Office
also was responsible for the Virtual Colombo Plan, which involves the
application of new information technologies to assist overseas development
and aid delivery. He has also managed the Papua New Guinea and Policy
branches of AusAID.
While mainly in the Australian public sector since 1977, he has also been an
adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and worked as a public sector
specialist in the World Bank in Washington. He has qualifications in
Psychology and Economics.
Rev
Tim Costello, CEO, World Vision Australia
BIOGRAPHY: Tim Costello, one of the nation’s leading campaigners on
social justice issues, commenced as Chief Executive of World Vision
Australia in March 2004. In July, Tim was awarded ‘Victorian of the Year
2004’, by the Victoria Day Award for Public and Community Service.
After studying law and education at Monash University and obtaining his
Masters in Theology at the Melbourne College of Divinity, Tim was ordained a
Baptist Minister in 1986. He established a vibrant and socially active
ministry at St Kilda Baptist Church between 1986 –1994 and was elected Mayor
of St Kilda in 1993.
In 1995 Tim was appointed Minister of Collins Street Baptist Church and
Executive Director of Urban Seed, a Christian not-for-profit organisation
that provides outreach services and hospitality to the urban poor. He held
this position until his move to World Vision.
Tim is recognised for articulating the social conscience of many Australians
on tough domestic issues such urban poverty, homelessness, problem gambling,
reconciliation and substance abuse. For nine years he was the spokesperson
for the Interchurch Gambling Taskforce and a member of the National Advisory
Body on Gambling. He is the former national president of the Baptist Union
of Australia. Currently Tim is Chairman of the National Australia Bank
external Stakeholder forum, a member of the AMP Sustainable Funds Committee,
the Aid Advisory Council and the Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation
Foundation.
Tim’s passion for justice has compelled him to experience the lives of the
poor in the Philippines, Sudan, Cambodia, Brazil, Indonesia and East Timor.
What he saw and felt on these trips compelled him to challenge global
poverty in the name of his fellow Australians.
He has also written several books including : Streets of Hope: Finding God
in St Kilda; Tips from a Travelling Soul Searcher and Wanna Bet? Winners and
Losers in Gambling’s Luck Myth, which was co-written by Royce Millar.
Tim and his wife of 25 years, Merridie have three adult children, Claire,
Elliot and Martin.
Mr
Andrew Hewett, Executive Director, Oxfam
Australia
BIOGRAPHY: Andrew Hewett became Executive Director of Oxfam Community Aid
Abroad (OCAA) in October, 2001, having worked with OCAA since 1991.
Andrew initially established the agency’s advocacy program, the
organisation’s increasing focus on lobbying governments, public education
and campaigning on social justice and development issues. Over the years his
responsibilities expanded to include OCAA’s domestic program and the
coordination of Oxfam International’s response to the crisis in Timor from
1999 - 2001.
Andrew is the vice-president of the Executive Committee of the Australian
Council for International Development (ACFID), the peak council of
non-government overseas development agencies. He has visited OCAA programs
in East Asia, South Asia, the Pacific, Central America, Southern Africa and
the Horn of Africa as well as its programs working with Indigenous
Australians.
He also visited India and Sri Lanka in mid-January 2005 to visit tsunami
affected areas.
SUMMARY: The tsunami wrought massive damage and destruction. It has
transformed the development environment in the countries affected. It has
also challenged all those agencies who’ve sought to respond. Agencies are
operating on a much greater scale than ever before and are learning critical
lessons including how best to balance their multiple accountabilities – to
beneficiaries, partner organizations and to donors – as they seek to develop
high quality and appropriate assistance.
Andrew Hewett will explore these issues in his presentation.
Mr
Robert Tickner, CEO, Australian Red Cross
[speech]
BIOGRAPHY: Robert Tickner took up the position of the Secretary General –
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in February 2005. Prior to taking up this
appointment he was the CEO of Job Futures Ltd. Robert served as Federal
Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs from 1990-1996
and is Australia’s longest serving Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Affairs. Before being elected to the Federal parliament, he was a
lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the Institute of Technology as well as the
Faculty of Business Studies. He later served as Principal Solicitor to the
NSW Aboriginal Legal Service. Between 1977 and 1984 he served as a
Councillor on the Sydney City Council including a very brief period as
Acting Lord Mayor. Robert holds Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws (Hons) and
Bachelor of Economics degrees and has undertaken the first stage of an
Executive MBA.
Robert is committed to ensuring that Australian Red Cross remains a leader
in the not-for-profit sector in transparency and accountability and in
delivering even greater efficiencies in its humanitarian work.
Only a few weeks ago Robert travelled to tsunami-ravaged Aceh to witness
first-hand the destruction and the plight of the affected communities.
During the trip he visited Red Cross operations in Banda Aceh and Simeleu
island, and visited an Australian Red Cross community project on the island
of Nias, where the organisation is working together with Zero-to-One
Foundation, helping build 254 homes, 9 bridges, 2 schools, 3 clean water
systems and a first aid centre.
Dr
Robert Glasser, CEO, CARE Australia
[summary]
BIOGRAPHY: Dr Robert Glasser is Chief Executive Officer of CARE
Australia. Prior to coming to CARE he was Assistant Director General at the
Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) with responsibility
for the Papua New Guinea program, AusAID's largest. He was previously
responsible for the Corporate Policy and Mekong Branches at AusAID. Dr
Glasser has worked on international energy and environmental issues for the
US Department of Energy and on peace and conflict issues at a number of
institutions, including the Cornell University Peace Studies Program, the
International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, and the Arms
Control Association in Washington DC. He received his PhD in International
Relations from the Australian National University.
Mr
Jack de Groot, Caritas Australia
[speech]
BIOGRAPHY: Jack de Groot has been National Director of Caritas Australia
since August 2000.
Caritas Australia is a member of Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of
160 Catholic development and relief agencies working in 200 countries. It is
one of the largest humanitarian response organizations in the world. Jack is
a member of the Minister for Foreign Affairs’ Aid Advisory Council and Chair
of the Australia’s Make Poverty History Campaign. Jack is also on the
Executive Committee of the Australian Council for International Development,
Australia's peak body for overseas aid. He is a member of Caritas
Internationalis' International Advocacy Committee and a board member of
Jesuit Mission.
Jack was the founding Executive Officer of the Melbourne Archdiocese's
Catholic Commission for Justice, Development and Peace from 1993 to 1997. In
1997, Jack moved to Perth where he took up the position of Consultant with
the Professional and Faith Development Team in Western Australia's Catholic
Education Office. From 1999 he was coordinator of the team working with
education leaders. Jack has assisted the work of Caritas Australia in both
Melbourne and Perth since 1993. He has also served as a member of the
Australian Catholic Social Justice Council.
Since joining Caritas Australia Jack has gained first hand experience of
Caritas Australia funded programs with Australian indigenous communities,
East Timor, Ghana, Brazil, the Solomon Islands and Cambodia. He has been
involved in Caritas Internationalis meetings in Tonga, Fiji, Papua New
Guinea, Italy and New Zealand.
Jack is married to Fiona and has two children, Isabella 5 and Daniel 6
months.
Caritas Australia received over $22 million for it work with tsunami
affected communities.
Other International Alert Series Forums
All events will be held at the Adelaide Town Hall from 5.30pm - 7.00pm
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Tuesday 6 September 2005
Women's Rights in Development
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Tuesday 7 February 2006
Fighting HIV AIDS
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Tuesday 4 April 2006
Free and Fairer Trade
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Tuesday 6 June 2006
Water Lessons
Defending ecosystems and resurrecting community rights
Tuesday 1 August 2006
Keeping the peace
Avoiding the cost of conflict in humanitarian aid
Tuesday 3 October 2006