Life in General

Australian appeals

John Quiggin6 Comments

Here’s the address of the CARE Australia appeal for aid in the earthquake and tsunami disaster. Via Tim Blair, some more links here

And, thanks to Andrew Bartlett, here’s the address for Community Aid Abroad

Remember that all donations are tax deductible. So, if you’re in the top tax bracket, work out what you can afford to give, then double it – you’ll get half back at the end of the financial year. If you’re in the 30 per cent bracket, you can give half as much again as without the deduction.

6 thoughts on “Australian appeals”

  2. Care Australia may not be the best way of helping in this disaster. I’ve just heard their announcement on the news that they will be concentrating on sending money to buy and distribute local resources, as that will be quicker than sending in physical resources from outside.

    But that is precisely the wrong thing to do, particularly in a major disaster when there is an all up insufficiency and sending money merely drives the price beyond the reach of individuals. Even when there are enough local resources, and the problem is one of distribution, the act of sending in outside supplies signals an imminent fall in prices and encourages existing stocks to be shifted.

    I am very concerned about the situation in the mid-ocean areas like the Maldives and Laccadives, and the island groups nearer shore like the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The former sort don’t have very much high ground to run to, and they have run so low on land that they are constructing artificial islands (I wonder what happened there?). I imagine the scenes on the US bases like Diego Garcia must be interesting, and will have huge short term effects on logistics in Iraq – but only short term. At least no natives living in subsistence will suffer; they were all deported rather than set up the bases where they could threaten wild life like the Aldabra Tortoise.

    No preview facility, I notice, so you’ll have to take what this gives you.

  3. PML while your point about CARE stating that it was ‘sending money’ is probably pertinent. It’s a bit hasty to prejudge CARE on the basis of one over-enthusiastic comment to the press. In actual fact, it’s always a judgement call as to whether money or resources is best contributed. Another spokesperson for CARE in Sri Lanka was saying
    that their employees were preoccupied with identifying and making safe
    dead bodies.

    I’d note in passing that not much has been heard from Burma at this stage.

  4. I have just spoken to my daughter who is now in Ranong after just having come in from I think, Ko Chang Island. She is a bit bemused as to all the text messages she has been getting from Australia as they hardly knew of the distaster until today when they watched a bit of TV. But even then where they are seems little effected and little panic. Tickets booked for train to Bangkok tomorrow and then after a few days there back to Taiwan. They aren’t worried at all and were a bit amazed that we would be worried back here. It does seem as if media coverage is more comprehensive here. The gap between our worries here and her reality there is a bit disconcerting especially given that the peninsula is so narrow there and, at least on the map, looks as if it could be next door to the devestation.

  5. One year ago
    One year to the day after the horrible Iranian earthquakes in which tens of thousands died, Asia has been hit by a massive underwater earthquake and subsequent tsunamis. Once again tens of thousands of people have died, and many more have nothing left

  6. Kyan, I only went as far in judging CARE Australia as putting “may not be the best way”, in that brief post.

    If you have a look at what I put in Brad DeLong’s site, you’ll find a broader discussion and a more detailed (and nuanced) recommendation. It basically comes down to, check them out, and if you can’t be sure try using one of the other channels for aid.

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