Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA) Media Release

Independent skills training and higher education providers delivering quality outcomes to international students express deep concern over the lack of clear direction in the Senate’s review of the Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Quality and Integrity) Bill 2024. The Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA) says many members face a threat to their existence if the Bill passes in its current form and the Australian Government uses its newfound draconian powers without appropriate guardrails and oversight.

“There’s no doubt that this legislation will be disastrous for independent skills training and higher education providers, as well as Australia’s reputation as a welcoming destination for international students,” said Troy Williams, ITECA Chief Executive.

The Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee reviewed the proposed legislation, and their report highlights that the Bill is poorly considered and not presented in a form that should be passed, according to ITECA.

“It was great to see the federal Opposition, the Australian Greens, and cross-bench senators acknowledge the concerns of ITECA members in the report. Sadly, Australian Government Senators have put politics before good policy and ignored the views of quality tertiary education providers,” Mr Williams said.

The Bill, if passed in its present form, will pave the way for introducing international student caps that most damage independent Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and higher education institutions.

“Despite the strong evidence provided to Senators by quality RTOs and higher education providers about the damage the proposed legislation will do to their institutions, the Australian Government looks set to proceed with a cavalier disregard for the employees in the sector that will lose their jobs,” Mr Williams said.

ITECA has endorsed the recommendations of the Australian Greens, calling on the Australian Government to withdraw the current Bill and begin a comprehensive consultation process with the tertiary education sector.

“The aim would be to develop a sustainable plan that supports the integrity of Australia’s migration and education systems, rather than pursuing what is rushed and reckless migration policy,” Mr Williams said.

In response to the ongoing concerns, ITECA has entered into crisis talks with its members, departmental officials, state and territory governments, plus stakeholders in the skills training and higher education sectors.

“These discussions seek to chart a path forward that mitigates the impact of the Bill on high-quality providers and their employees, ensuring that Australia’s international education system remains competitive and reputable,” Mr Williams said.

Experts at Master Builders Australia have warned that low apprenticeship numbers will worsen the nation’s housing crisis if action is not taken immediately.

The warning comes after new Australian Bureau of Statistics data revealed that 2023-24 was the worst year for home building in more than a decade, dropping 8.8 per cent to 158,690 new starts.

“Detached house starts fell by 10.1 per cent, while higher density commencements were down by 6.0 per cent,” said Master Builders Chief Economist Shane Garrett.

“If building continues at this pace, we’ll be in for less than 800,000 new home starts over the next five years.”

“This would mean a shortfall of over 400,000 homes compared with the National Housing Accord target.”

The data release, revealing a drop to numbers not seen since 2011-12, coincided with fresh data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research which showed declines in apprenticeship numbers.

Apprenticeship completions fell 8.6 per cent from 24,545 in the year to March 2023 to 22,420 to March 2024. In the same period, apprenticeship commencements dropped 11.8 per cent from 47,110 to 41,520, and the number of apprentices in training declined 2.2 per cent from 124,280 to 121,530.

Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn said the new data painted a concerning picture for Australia’s housing crisis.

“Today’s data releases aren’t unrelated. To bring Australia out of the housing crisis we need to drastically increase the supply of housing,” said Ms Wawn, “and we can’t do that while we’re simultaneously suffering through a labour shortage.”

“Low apprentice numbers reflect a shortage of skilled workers across all trades, and until we’re able to address the challenges facing the future of the workforce, we won’t be able to increase building activity and reduce the impact of supply conditions in the residential building market on Australia’s inflation problem.

“It’s no longer appropriate to call for a return to pre-Covid levels, we need more tradies now than we’ve ever had.

“We urgently need governments to look at solutions to increase the number of tradies, increase the number of apprentices, and help Australian builders increase supply so we can come out the other side of this housing crisis,” Ms Wawn concluded.

Master Builders Australia’s “Future of the Workforce: Building and Construction Industry” report, which highlights the growing need for action to increase the workforce. To read the full report click here.

Oxfam Australia Media Release

The Lebanese authorities, communities and humanitarian agencies are struggling to shelter and provide the necessities of life to over one million people fleeing Israel’s airstrikes and invasion to the south, Oxfam said today.

Oxfam is working with local partners in Lebanon and alongside other aid agencies as part of the government’s humanitarian response plan following Israel’s invasion of Southern Lebanon and aerial bombardment.

Oxfam assessments in shelters across Lebanon have found people most need mattresses, bedding, and cooking and sanitation items. Women also need sanitary pads, towels, and underwear. Oxfam and partners have started distributing some of this aid as well as water.

Gheith Bittar, Executive Director for Oxfam partner SHIFT – Social Innovation Hub, said more displaced people are arriving by the day and he fears shelters may buckle under the strain.

“The shelters are not ready to host the number of IDPs we are taking on and 629 are already full. They are public schools that are not equipped to be shelters and we are facing problems. For example, we don’t have hot water for showers. We will get to a point where we won’t be able to cope. Without funds, we cannot sustain our support to the shelters. The ground invasion will only increase the number of IDPs, and we have already seen an increase in the number of displaced people on a daily basis with the continuous bombardment. The situation will only get worse as winter approaches.

“People are coming to us traumatised. Most of them have lost their houses and relatives. Some of them were scared because of the scale of bombardment as they were fleeing, and many others because of their fear of the unknown coming to a new city. People are suffering, they have many, many, issues to think about.”

Oxfam says without a ceasefire the greenlight by Israel to a ground invasion in southern Lebanon will likely lead to a further escalation of the conflict and fighting, that will cause even more destruction of communities and inflame an already volatile region.

“The ground invasion and bombardment that includes Beirut and the southern suburbs will create a serious challenge for the humanitarian system in a few short days. People are being forced to flee with little to no notice, and often having to leave everything behind to shelters that are inadequate or sharing crowded homes with few essential supplies. None know when they can return. Without a ceasefire the number of people desperately in need will only grow, as will their needs. The shelter system is set to collapse if there is no peace on the horizon,” said Oxfam’s Lebanon Country Director, Bachir Ayoub.

“The needs of people in Lebanon who’ve been injured, traumatised and displaced, in fear of what the future might hold for them, are already huge. No other solution other than a ceasefire can alleviate the crisis they are facing,” Ayoub said.

There must be an end to this violence. All parties must stop fighting. We need safe space to get people the aid they need,” he said.

By James Moore

“Tell the truth. Sing with passion. Work with laughter. Love with heart. ‘Cause that’s all that matters in the end.” – Kris Kristofferson.

The only time I ever spoke to him in person I thought that his voice had the sound of rocks tumbling down a talus slide in a western mountain range. Poets and artists with the depth and capability of Kris Kristofferson are often not good interview subjects, however. Try asking Willie Nelson to explain where melodies come from. No time is available for them to refine complicated concepts into insightful phrases or understanding. They are compelled simply to talk with much the same facility as the mortals moved by their work.

“Listen,” Kristofferson told me. “I’ve been there. I was in the military. I know the destruction we can do, the people who will die, and it’s not usually in the name of freedom. It tends to be about something else. We’re making a big mistake if we go over there.”

I wondered why he was struggling to communicate. A man who had such a command of language offered a halting delivery and seemed to stare past me into a distance that was occupied by some disturbing vision. Maybe, he teetered a bit with faltering balance. I am not certain. There was no smell of alcohol, but there was always an abundance of methods for altering consciousness at the disposal of the famous and wealthy, and Kris was no stranger to that allure.

“What’s the importance of all this?” He seemed to have recaptured a train of thought that had evaded him for a minute. “Why do we have to tear up families, ours and theirs? It’s just about oil. Everybody knows that. Is that worth anyone’s son or daughter? Hell, no, and we all know that, too.”

Kristofferson that afternoon in Austin made me think again of a nine-year-old little girl up at Fort Hood. We had been reporting on departure ceremonies of troops saying good-bye to their families before boarding flights to Kuwait and a confrontation with Saddam Hussein. While American youth was gearing up for battle, and confronting their own mortality, the sons of Kuwaiti sheikhs were partying at Paris discos. No such facts landed in the U.S. media, though, and our soldiers were framed as heroes defending a small, mostly helpless ally, one, coincidentally, with lots of oil reserves. Without thinking, while we were recording video in the gymnasium where departing troops had gathered, I saw that little girl hug her daddy just before he walked away toward the giant airplane, and we approached her with the camera rolling as she sobbed.

“Do you know what’s happening?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said. “It’s a war. A stupid war.”
“Well, don’t you think the country needs your daddy?”
“No! I think I need my daddy.”

I felt horrible, and apologized, profusely, as the girl’s mother wrapped her arms around her crying child. The native emotional brilliance of the girl might have made her a character in one of Kristofferson’s songs. He clearly felt the same way about the father’s departure for war. In January of 1991, the Texas musician and songwriter had joined Willie Nelson and other artists at the Palmer Auditorium in Austin for a concert billed as, “Peace for All.” The elder Bush, George H.W., had warned a few weeks earlier in Waco that a failure to act and allow Iraq to invade Kuwait laid the predicate for what he described as “world war tomorrow.” Kris was not buying H.W.’s bullshit and was trying to broaden the resistance to the marketing of “Operation Desert Storm.” The fact that Kristofferson had served in the military as a helicopter pilot, was a graduate of West Point, and a Rhodes Scholar, made him the perfect anti-war partner for the more quotidian Willie.

We had been standing outside of Willie’s bus waiting for him or Kris to step out for an interview. I had been attending Willie’s Fourth of July concerts since the late seventies and had interviewed him several times. Kris, however, I had always wanted to meet, though I was not motivated by journalism; I just wanted to talk about writing and music, which were both enduring mysteries to me. A beer or two in a rundown roadside tavern would have been perfect. Instead, I had to ask him about politics and imperialism.

“One more thing, quickly,” I said. “You surely know enough about your home state to be aware this is a conservative as hell place and very supportive of the military. I assume you expect some criticism for doing this in the midst of what’s being considered almost a national emergency.”

“Goddamnit,” he said. “Nobody has more respect for our military than me, and my family. Damn sure nobody can question my patriotism, either. But what we are about to do is wrong, and I’ve got a conscience and a right to express it, regardless of what these politicians think, and that’s what we are all doing here today, hoping to stop this nonsense.”

His delivery was not fluid speech and I decided there were chemicals coursing through his brain. I might have been wrong but I found myself agonizing over this gifted and fortunate man’s circumstances. What did I know? Hell, I had wanted to be him. I had seen friends and acquaintances balancing on the edge of the emotional cracker during my two decades of TV journalism, and while wandering the country with my backpack, and I began to think of the opening monologue of Kristofferson’s great ballad, “To Beat the Devil.”

“A couple of years back I come across a great and wasted friend of mine in the hallway of a recording studio, and while he was reciting some poetry to me that he had written, I saw that he was about a step away from dyin’, and I couldn’t help but wonderin’ why.”

The description was of Johnny Cash, who fought his own demons with drugs, and was obviously not yet recovered during that encounter. Cash helped Kris launch his career after the determined Texan landed a helicopter in the backyard of Cash’s Nashville home to present him with tapes of songs he had written and recorded. The lyrics of that first album in 1970 caught my attention more than any music. There is not a musical cell in my frame but I love the sound of words properly arranged as if they, too, can deliver melodies. Although I had no record player in my college dormitory, I bought the eponymous album, “Kristofferson,” and let a friend on my floor, who had a turntable, take possession of the LP. We played “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” to the point where everyone living along our hallway learned the lyrics.

Even in my youth, I thought “Bobby McGee” was a song suffused with immortality. The story seemed to define America, two lovers wandering the roads and rails trying to discover their country and each other. I wanted that life, writing and drifting, and I let Kristofferson become the thematic sound track of my dreams, and then my actions. When I met the girl who was to become my partner for life, Kris’ “Lovin’ Her Was Easier” frequently popped up when we were together as background music, and it still does. His songs, initially, were only marginally political, and I wondered if that was because he was considered “country,” a genre, during the Vietnam Era, which was certain to offer disdain to political protestors. Merle Haggard’s, “The Fightin’ Side of Me” seemed to express the sentiments of country music at that time.

“I read about some squirrely guy who claims he just don’t believe in fightin’,
An’ I wonder just how long the rest of us can count on bein’ free,
They love our milk an’ honey, but they preach about some other way of livin’,
When they’re runnin’ down my country, hoss,
They’re walkin’ on the fightin’ side of me.”

Never mind, though, that the Vietnam War had no more to do with American freedom than did the battle H.W. Bush was about to start in Kuwait. Kristofferson’s politics, a tad more progressive than Merle’s, began to emerge in his writing with songs like “Sandinista,” which was produced in 1986 during the U.S. backed Contra war in Nicaragua. The song contravened U.S. policy in the conflict and was undoubtedly penned as the songwriter, and the rest of America, was oblivious to the secret Iran Contra drugs and guns operations being managed by then Vice President H.W. Bush. “Sandinista,” Kristofferson sang, “You can hold your head up high. You have given back their Freedom. You have lived up to your name.”

Sitting in a conference room in Washington, D.C., as I was waiting for a copy of the “Tower Report” on the Iran Contra scandal, I found myself wondering if Kristofferson ever questioned his work’s focus. Music had power, of course, but was it politically influential enough to foster change? And if it could not, what was the point of political protest songs? Texas U.S. Senator John Tower’s report on the Iran Contra Scandal was little more than a whitewash that found the appropriate fall guy in Marine Oliver North and kept the responsibility for the scam away from H.W Bush, who had authorized the clandestine endeavor. The true evil actors in American politics always seem above the law. I got in a bit of trouble later that night in my live television broadcast back to Houston when I described Tower’s findings as, “A number two Mexican dinner with one taco missing.”

My sense was that Kristofferson was always at his political best with more nuanced lyricism. In his 1972, “Jesus Was A Capricorn,” he offered a subtle critique of hypocrisy and social intolerance by mocking how we often marginalize people who do not fit conventional profiles and might just look different. “Everybody’s gotta have somebody to look down on,” he wrote. “Who they can feel better than any time they please.” The song began with a bald concession that humans never seem to change, regardless of inspiring examples. “Jesus was a Capricorn, he ate organic foods, he believed in love and peace and everyone no shoes. Long hair beard and sandals and a funky bunch of friends, reckon they’d just nail him up if he came down again.”

When a soul can reduce the entirety of the human condition down to a few couplets, there seems no reason for the rest of us to bother writing. The urge to create, though, does not simply vanish. Kristofferson’s linguistic skills inspired writers like me even though we could have reasonably been intimidated. I have tried to write and think at the intersection of art and politics because I do not believe there is much in life that is unaffected by the political. His ability to make the poetic into the political only ensures his legend will grow over time. History will likely consider him the songwriting equal of Bob Dylan, and, to paraphrase Steve Earle’s praise of Townes Van Zandt, I’d stand on Guy Clark’s glass coffee table in my cowboy boots and shout that to the world. I have heard musicians say that their music comes through them, not from them, as if the universe were its source and they were the ciphers. I am inclined to think that might be true of Kristofferson’s lyrics, too.

All writers, of course, however they do it, are chasing the truth, and no one spoke better to the frustration and importance of that challenge than Kris in his song, “To Beat the Devil.” He describes being a musician down on his luck having an encounter with an old man in a bar, “cigarette smoke in the ceiling, saw dust on the floor,” who turns out to be the devil. Kristofferson agrees to give the man his guitar and listens as he sings a refrain that ought to echo down through the millennia for every sentient being on board our little green and blue rock.

“If you waste your time a talkin’ to the people who don’t listen to the things that you are sayin’, who do you think’s gonna hear? And if you should die explainin’ how the things that they complain about are things they could be changin’, who do you thinks gonna care? There were other lonely writers in a world turned deaf and blind who were crucified for what they tried to show. And their voices have been scattered by the swirling winds of time, but the truth remains and someone wants to know.”

Adios, Kris. I’m glad I was walking in the world the same time as you.

This article was originally published on Texas to the world.

By Maria Millers

To sin by silence, when we should protest,
Makes cowards out of men. The human race
Has climbed on protest. Had no voice been raised
Against injustice, ignorance, and lust,
The inquisition yet would serve the law,
And guillotines decide our least disputes.
The few who dare, must speak and speak again
To right the wrongs of many
(Excerpt from ‘Protest’ by EllaWheelerWilcox).

As I write it is one day before the anniversary of the brutal Hamas attack and hostage taking of Israelis on October 7th; a day etched in the minds not just Israelis but Jewish people across the world. But for Palestinians this too was the beginning of a year of death and destruction for those civilians living in Gaza.

As a multicultural society we are home to many of those from both sides who have been affected by what has happened.

Australia prides itself on being a successful multicultural society and indeed on many levels it has been one. But the events of the past year and the most recent escalation of conflict in the Middle East are testing the strength of our multiculturalism. And also our leaders.

The right to protest has always been the hallmark of a functioning democracy and peaceful protest should never become opportunities for political posturing and point scoring.

As Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel wrote:

“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.”

There have been ongoing protests from Australian Palestinians and as the anniversary of October 7th draws nearer critics raised the question of whether it is insensitive to hold vigils on a day which brings pain to a community where historical memories of past atrocities still reverberate.

At the same time we cannot ignore the pain of Palestinian Australians who have witnessed all year incredible loss of life and destruction of homes, hospitals, schools etc. in the land from which they have come and where many still have familial connections

Much of the debate has revolved around flags. Flags can be quite divisive, often representing national identity, cultural heritage and political ideologies. The meaning of a flag can vary significantly depending on your personal experiences and therefore can be a contentious symbol

There has been concern that the flag of Hezbollah has appeared at Palestinian rallies particularly since it’s a proscribed terrorist organization.

However, the decision to display the Israeli flag on the Sydney Opera House was met with mixed reactions and opinions on whether it was a mistake. For some, it was a show of solidarity with Israel, particularly during a time of conflict. Others viewed it as controversial, arguing that it politicized a cultural landmark and could be seen as dismissive of Palestinian perspectives or the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Ultimately whether it was a mistake depends on where you stand on using public symbols which may alienate and upset other affected citizens in our multicultural society and on one’s viewpoint regarding the appropriateness of using public symbols for political statements and the broader context of the ongoing conflict. The incident highlighted the sensitivities around national symbols and their implications in a multicultural society.

Some flags are universally reviled. The Swastika flag is a potent symbol of hate, representing the atrocities of the Holocaust and the broader impact of Nazi ideology, making it universally condemned. However, even flags like the Union Jack can also evoke feelings of colonialism and oppression in formerly colonized countries.

As we live on a globalized but increasingly fragile planet perhaps we should move towards an Earth Flag. One designed by John McConnell in 1969 features a view of Earth from space, with a dark blue background representing the cosmos. It symbolizes peace and unity among all people on the planet. These proposals aim to foster a sense of global citizenship and awareness, encouraging people to think beyond national borders. Of course we already have the United Nations Flag featuring a world map surrounded by olive branches, representing the nations of the world coming together to solve problems. Regrettably they have not been able to do so.

Perhaps it is poetry we should turn to in fostering a culture of respect and understanding to serve as bridges rather than barriers in a multicultural society. In the words of poet Denise Levertov:

A voice from the dark called out,
The poets must give us
imagination of peace, to oust the intense, familiar
imagination of disaster. Peace, not only
the absence of war.

And if despair for the world becomes too much, turn towards nature to find relief:

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives might be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
(The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry).

New global research involving over 10,000 children and young people from 10 countries has found that gender profoundly influences how conflict is experienced.

The study, by child rights and humanitarian INGO Plan International, offers in-depth insight into growing up in conflict, based on a survey and first-person accounts of 15- to 24-year-olds from countries including Sudan, Palestine, Ethiopia, Lebanon and Ukraine.

The research – which also includes over 100 in-depth interviews – shows how children and young people who live through conflict are robbed of their childhood, as fear and violence become their normal.

Girls and young women are more likely to experience sexual violence and assault in conflict settings – cited as a risk by more than one in four (27%) girls, and one in six (17%) boys.

They are also more likely to feel unsafe (39%) as a result of the relentless violence that comes with conflict compared to boys (36%).

In the interviews, deeply distressing accounts were shared of rape, and other forms of sexual violence in conflict, that girls and young women had experienced or witnessed. Interviewees emphasised the need for psychosocial and mental health support, which in some countries was very limited or non-existent.

More than one in three (38%) of all children and young people reported feeling unsafe, with 46% fearing that being shot was a risk, and 30% feeling they are at risk of airstrikes.

Almost half of the children and young people surveyed reported they had no, or very limited access to food (43%), with girls and young women more likely to struggle to access food and water. 44% of girls said they have no or very limited access to water, compared to 39% of boys, most likely as a result of pre-existing gender inequality.

Describing her experience of growing up in Sudan’s Darfur region, Dr. Elzahra Mohammed, Programme Lead – Primary and Sexual Reproductive Health for Plan International Sudan said:

“Every day we saw people dead or injured.”

“War is terrible, but I think for girls it is especially frightening. Even before the war, girls faced a kind of discrimination. But afterwards, the situation became very, very bad for us because young boys started to carry knives. When I became a doctor, I worked a lot with girls and young women who were abused in the war… I can understand what girls are going through.”

“It is important to acknowledge that girls are not affected the same way as boys – they need to be treated in a different way, they have different needs, both practically and emotionally.”

Girls and young women reported significantly higher levels of emotional stress indicators than boys and young men. 58% of girls and young women, compared to 49% of boys and young men, report continuous worrying and 58% of girls also say they are unable to sleep, versus 52% of boys.

Global evidence shows that it is common for girls and women to internalise their fears and anxieties and 44% of girls reported feeling hopeless, compared to 38% of boys.

Fatima, 23, currently trapped in Gaza, is surrounded by hunger, fear, death, and destruction every day. “Living in a conflict zone has an impact on young people that may last all our lives: it restricts our access to quality education, employment opportunities, and a safe environment. [We are] traumatised by witnessing violence and losing loved ones, and [this will] have long-term psychological effects.”

In the words of Dansha, 17, from Ethiopia: “The impact of the war is harsher on young females, and we have experienced so many challenges during those moments.”

“Many girls were raped during the war. In addition, compared to boys, we spend most of our time working in the house. This means there is a lot of burden on girls. Therefore, all these challenges bring depression among many young girls and most of these young girls have some sort of mental illness.”

Everyday life is turned on its head overnight when conflict erupts, as electricity and communication become hard to access, interaction with family and friends becomes restricted and schools close or become dangerous to get to. More than half (52%) of survey respondents reported missing out on their education as a result of the conflict in their country.

Lena, 17, remembers this experience well: living in conflict-ravaged Afghanistan as a young girl, her parents’ concerns for her safety meant she was unable to attend any form of primary schooling until she left the country.

Lena, who lives in regional Queensland, now campaigns for peace, equality and youth empowerment on global stages with Plan International, the UN, and other organisations. She was recently awarded Queensland’s Youth Citizen of the Year award.

“Girls living in conflict zones are often the most vulnerable, facing unimaginable barriers to education, safety, and basic human rights. As someone who has witnessed the impact of conflict, this report deeply resonates with me. It highlights the urgent need for global action to amplify their voices and acknowledge the harsh realities they endure, ensuring their stories and experiences are heard and acted upon,” she said.

The study found a staggering 17% of children surveyed had been asked to join an armed group, despite this being a grave violation of children’s rights and against International Humanitarian Law.

Boys were found to be at higher risk of being recruited into armed groups or forces, more than one in five boys (23%) had experienced this. 11% of girls were also found to have been targeted, we were told that girls included in armed conflict groups have been forced to work as cooks, spies or forced into marriage.

Survey respondents in Sudan were the most likely to have been approached by an armed group, followed closely by Mozambique and Ethiopia.

But the report also highlights the resilience young people living through war have, and theircourage in not only articulating their shattered dreams but their hopes and needs for the future. “We live day by day, finding solace in small joys and personal passions,” says Fatima in Gaza.

“Creating personal worlds, and engaging in activities we love, provides a temporary escape and a sense of normality. I take photos and write poetry. I want to be a photographer: holding onto hopes and dreams is a crucial part of survival. Despite the bleak circumstances, these dreams give us a reason to endure and push forward, even when the future seems uncertain.”

Plan International Australia CEO Susanne Legena, said:

“With the world less stable than it has been for generations, our annual State of the World’s Girls report for this year couldn’t come at a more critical time.

“Our research shows us the while the brutal impacts of war are felt by all people who experience it, regardless of gender, the experience itself does differ for girls and boys, young women and young men. Conflict and crisis deepen inequalities and set back any progress that had been made on equality. What the accounts and data show us is that girls pay a high price in conflict, particularly when it comes to gender- and sexual-based violence – this has to stop and is why peace and ceasefires are so desperately needed.

“The state of the world can feel overwhelming, but making a difference, and taking a stand against violence, doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Governments, donors and civil society can all play their part in bringing about peace – and so can everyone,” she said.

The report – titled ‘Still we dream: Girls and young people living through conflict’ is launched ahead of International Day of the Girl (IDG) on 11 October 2024. The day was set aside in the United Nations calendar in 2012 to celebrate and advocate for girls’ rights, following advocacy by Plan International, the world’s leading girls’ rights organisation.

The INGO is calling on donors, governments, and decision makers worldwide to take action for girls in conflict, including implementing immediate ceasefires, and commencing meaningful peace talks aimed at lasting peace, ensuring that girls and young people’s voice and specific needs are included.

Plan International also calls for all parties to conflict to immediately end and prevent all grave violations against children in conflict, including recruitment and use by armed forces and armed groups, killing and maiming, sexual violence, attacks on schools and hospitals, abductions, and denial of humanitarian access.

On IDG, Plan International Australia holds an annual International Day of the Girl Giving Day, and this year aims to raise $120,000 in 24 hours with the help of friends, allies and a telethon.

Everyday Plan supports girls living through crisis, protecting their rights, ensuring their safety, and celebrating their infinite potential. Proceeds of the Giving Day will go directly to girls and children in conflict, providing life-saving aid such as food, water, dignity kits and also the much-needed psycho-social support needed to commence healing.