Don't let the ALP back down on its promise!

As Federal Parliament resumed today, Tim Costello, CEO of World Vision Australia, has just recently announced that the Australian Labor Party is considering backing down from its pledge of $210 million to The Global Fund  to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria by 2015. 

It was considered as part of the flood levy response to delay the target date to 2017.

While this was widely rejected, Labor sources are saying that this is still a real threat.

Leading NGOs met last Friday to strategise a response.

NGOs agreed to get as many people as possible to make some noise and express their support for aid to our politicians.

At this stage it is thought that the focus should be on MPs/Senators and NOT THE MEDIA. 

(The consensus is that this is not a mainstream issue, and a mainstream media debate on "Should we cut aid?", may not be altogether helpful right now.) 

Please do the following:

• Share this message to your group members  and others who you feel will take action!
• Ask them to email/write to/phone their MPs and Senators (from ANY political party) ASAP! 

(This can also be incorporated into letters from our latest Fact and Action sheet.)

Contacting your MP/Senator is particularly important if:

• Your MP/Senator is from the ALP
• If your MP or Senator is a senior member of the Government
• You are from Queensland
• Your MP is one of the Independents (Windsor, Oakshott, Wilkie, Katter) or Green MP Adam Bandt.

Attached are some dot points (developed by World Vision) highlighting the importance of maintaining our commitment to aid: click here.

Keep in mind that there are millions of the world's poorest people who also have to face the overwhelming effects of natural disasters minus the resources we have here in Australia.

RESULTS achievements in 2010

RESULTS International (Australia) had an extremely successful year tackling poverty in 2010. It not only brought about monumental changes in our world, and our country, but also to our great organisation, RESULTS.

Our list of results in the fight to end poverty is quite impressive and can also be used as a great reference for discussion when talking about RESULTS to people who have not heard about what we do.

Below is a list of just some of RESULTS' achievements in 2010:

Organisational: 

• Moved into our first office for over 15 years in Sydney 
• Gold sponsor VMAC contributed a generous $10,000
• New coporate sponsor Eli Lilly contributed a grateful $6,000
• Secured grant funding from RESULTS US for 2 major projects: RESULTS' UN Workshop and ongoing research for Education for All Campaign 
• Created a new brochure, newsletter, stationary, conference banners, website and social media sites 
• Largest RESULTS fundraising effort occurred in Hobart, Tasmania
• Sen. Bob McMullan (Ret.) awarded the 2010 RESULTS Leadership Award
• Updated RESULTS' Constitution
• Changed our official name from RESULTS Australia to RESULTS International (Australia)

Grassroots: 

• 3 new RESULTS Groups in Launceston, Burnie, Brisbane, and a restart in Sydney City 
• Group training (Mackay & Sydney)
• RESULTS membership growth; 76 members, up from 35 in June (including 3 new Life Members by the end of 2010) 
• 2010 RESULTS National Conference with international guest speakers held in Melbourne
• Successful parliamentary visits in Canberra in March 2010; which included
  8 RESULTS delegates
• 13 strong RESULTS delegation at UN Global Health conference in Melbourne in August, which included a groundbreaking workshop on women and tuberculosis 
• 42 letters-to-the-editor and online comments published 
• 3 newspaper articles, 3 radio interviews and 1 current affairs piece aired on television
• 4 media releases prepared and circulated
• Around 200 letters written to various MPs around Australia
• A further 25 MP visits were conducted 
• Co-signed letters (with ACFID) on Australia's contribution to The Global Fund sent to
  Kevin Rudd
• Provided input to ACFID's pre-budget submission and aid review 
• Met with Australian Executive of the World Bank, Jim Hagan, in Washington D.C. 
• 2 RESULTS delegates sponsored to annual ACTION meetings in the United Kingdom

Campaigns: 

• Helped see an increase in microfinance funding in 2010-11 to $21 million (in 2009-10 figure was $16.5 million)
• Pushed for AusAID's first microfinance strategy, which was released in March
• Advocated for the finalisation of the Debt2Health Agreement with Indonesia, which will see $37 million go towards tuberculosis inoculation programs 
• Contributed to the partial success in Australia's contribution to The Global Fund (Australia's contribution of $210 million represented a 55 per cent increase since its last donation) 
• Submitted a bilateral TB proposal, that will see $55 million committed over 5 years, for a roll-out of new state-of-the-art TB-diagnostic tool in Indonesia
• Assisted with UNESCO's Education for All Campaign:
  - Contributed to research on the opportunities for basic education for all children, youth and adults covering the Asia-Pacific region
  - Invited to participate in an Australian Coalition

Parliament: 

• In March, saw a RESULTS influenced speech in parliament on World TB Day (Sen. Clare Moore) 
• Made a motion on The Global Fund in November 2010

RESULTS has many new projects in the pipeline for 2011, including a lobbying trip to Canberra in March. RESULTS will also publish its latest research report on education in the first half of the year, as well as set up new groups across the country, beginning with a new group in Canberra on Saturday, February 26 (in 3 weeks).


There'll also be plenty of grassroots action on tuberculosis, children's health, microfinance and more.

The Power to End Poverty

Along with RESULTS' ongoing development of its new website in 2011, RESULTS' 'Power to End Poverty' Blog will be used as another instrument in RESULTS' arsenal to empower everyday Australians to be extraordinary voices for the end poverty.

This blog will act as a forum for RESULTS members to share their views, concerns, personal experiences and opinions on poverty and its many underlying issues.

To get your opinion or inspiring experience published on our blog please email your post to newsalert@results.org.au.