International alert series: The BIG Issues - Beyond Tsunami
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
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
Make Poverty History
How Australians can help to halve global poverty by 2015 in support of the Millennium Development Goals
Tuesday 6 September 2005
Women's Rights in Development
Building women's rights to achieve sustainable economics and livelihoods
Tuesday 7 February 2006
Fighting HIV AIDS
What's required to achieve an HIV/AIDS free world
Tuesday 4 April 2006
Free and Fairer Trade
Can trade be both free and equitable in a global economy?
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
