News

April Pools Day!

The date may be about funny gags, but we’re serious about pool safety!

Chantelle earned her licence, and changed everything for her family

With a helping hand from Red Cross, she’s now able to help her mum get everyone to and from school and work, which has made life for the family much easier and more relaxing.

Jennet was there when no one else could be

A Red Cross volunteer for 28 years, Jennet was the sole emergency services volunteer on hand when bushfires swept through the Cann River region in Victoria last summer.

International Women’s Day 2021

Red Cross women are the forebearers, the backbone, the lifeblood of our organisation.

The humanitarian’s guide to the perfect Valentine’s Gift

This Valentine’s Day, find your language of love and give your loved ones a true humanitarian gift: a chance to help another person!

Australian Bushfires

Report: January–December 2020

Quiz: what do you know about nuclear weapons?

How many nuclear weapons there are in the world? How many countries have these weapons? Put your knowledge to the test in our quiz.

How your donations have helped Matt

Recovering from last summer's bushfires has been tough for Matt, but the support he has received from Red Cross - thanks to your donations - has helped him keep going.

Couple blown away by kindness and generosity

One year on from last summer's devastating bushfires, Kangaroo Island couple Peter and Nirbeeja share the story of their recovery journey so far.

15 things you can do to help end the nuclear weapons era

On 22 January, the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons came into force, marking a historic turning point in global efforts to end the nuclear weapons era once and for all.

Nuclear weapons toolkit: learning resources

Want to improve your knowledge of the issues, history and stories surrounding nuclear weapons? Here's what to read, watch and listen to.

Red Cross speaks to ABC Radio about bushfire recovery

Red Cross's Poppy Brown and disaster recovery consultant Dr Rob Gordon interviewed by the ABC about recovery and the psychological impact of bushfires

Nuclear weapons treaty: a new beginning

Join us to celebrate history in the making and the beginning of the end of nuclear weapons.

Seven steps to more responsible business conduct in conflict zones

A new best-practice framework to help businesses operating in conflict-affected areas.

Recovering from Tropical Cyclone Yasa

Red Cross teams are helping people in Fiji stay safe and start to rebuild

Australian Bushfires

Grants and recovery program update December 2020.

Celebrating humanity with the best Red Cross photos of 2020

Every act of kindness matters: we want to thank everyone, everywhere, who went out of their way to help someone else get through challenges this year.

International Volunteer Day 2020

Together we can – through volunteering

Photo gallery: kindness in a global crisis

Celebrating humanity and kindness in the COVID pandemic.

A letter of thanks from our Patron

Stories of hope and kindness

Inspiration from a tough year.

Danger Days app

Helping young people make positive behaviour changes to become emergency prepared.

Water blessing

Traditional owners welcome newly-arrived migrants to country in a deeply moving ceremony.

Renewal through art

Art workshops are helping bushfire communities heal.

A historic day in the fight against nuclear weapons

The ratification of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons by a 50th country is a historic day bringing us a step closer to a nuclear-weapons-free world.

Sheltering together on the beach during the fires

The people alongside to help survive the disaster came from just over the fence.

World Re-start a Heart Day 2020

How much do you know about your heart? Test your knowledge. Then check the answers at the bottom of the page and sign up to learn how to re-start a heart.

Australian Bushfires report

The road to recovery.

Australian bushfires: how we’re using funds

How your donations are helping people recover.

This is a time to be kind to ourselves and each other

Stories from our Queensland volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Join Red Cross’ free online global climate change summit - September 9 & 10

The Red Cross Movement’s first-ever global online climate change summit this week is open and free to everyone; because everyone, everywhere, is affected by climate change.

How forcible separation affects people living in Australia

Sleep, concentration, the ability to work or settle into new lives. Separation from loved ones has profound impacts.

Being a refugee is about courage

“Being a refugee is not something shameful. In fact, it’s an honour to have survived and made it through,” says former refugee and Australian Red Cross support worker Mohammad Almadi.

Friendship and support to begin a new life in Australia

Gordana Ivanovska knows the difference kindness makes when you’re starting your life over.

Riding towards friends and belonging in a new country

A program that provides bikes to recently-arrived refugee families is helping children find friendship, connection and balance in their new homes.

Young people want to be more prepared for disasters – and are taking action themselves

Young people are rightfully concerned about disasters and emergencies – and are taking their own actions to become better prepared.

Breaking down digital barriers

In a world where many essential services have moved online, we’re working with partners and community members to design solutions that make digital tools accessible for all.

Summer bushfires: every day is a new day

Jack Wotton says he is taking every day as a new day after this summer’s bushfires destroyed his family’s home near the village of Cobargo, in south-east New South Wales.

Mogo bushfire: building back strong

Meet some of the resilient locals of a town recovering from the devastation of this summer's bushfires.

”That’s the way communities are supposed to be”

For Sherrie Nye, the summer bushfires didn’t just devastate her hometown of Mogo, they tore at the heart of her very being. But the months afterwards have shown the strength within Sherrie, her family and community.

Bushfires: the difference kindness has made

Many bushfire survivors in Mogo are coming forward for help for the first time. Local resident Richard Adams is grateful to all the people whose donations and kindness continue to make that support possible.

Responding to the Beirut Explosion

6 August 2020

No one will come to help: Why we must prevent a nuclear catastrophe

Seventy-five years after atomic bombs destroyed the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement urges all nations to end the nuclear era.

Our response to the COVID-19 pandemic

How we support people to maintain their wellbeing and manage isolation.

Working on the frontline to end human trafficking

Modern slavery happens in Australia. Meet the people behind the scenes dedicated to supporting people who have been trafficked.

A place to call home

On an isolated cattle farm that was hit hard by the Black Summer bushfires the Sturgess family are building a new home for their friend Smiley, with the help of two Red Cross emergency relief grants.

Walking alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

A statement from Australian Red Cross.

Australian Bushfires Report

The impact of your generosity.

What every Australian business needs to know about international humanitarian law

Australian Red Cross has partnered with RMIT University to produce a practical guide to help businesses navigate their risks, rights and responsibilities under international humanitarian law (IHL).

A virtual hug and a friendly voice

Susan is an expert in comfort and virtual hugs. She and hundreds of other volunteers phone people who are struggling to let them know there’s a community, right here, they can lean on.

The power of a helping hand

Food in your stomach, a roof over your head, a doctor when you are sick – these are things everyone deserves.

When life throws another curveball

Marianne was four when she learned to swim. Every weekend her grandmother took her and her brothers to the Mitchell River in East Gippsland.

Everybody knows someone affected

When a deadly measles outbreak hit Samoa, Red Cross volunteers were on the frontline supporting the community and helping stop the disease from spreading further.

Everyone needs good neighbours in an emergency

How neighbours really can be your best friends during any traumatic time in your life.

The power of good neighbours

When Tropical Cyclone Harold hit Vanuatu, Red Cross volunteers hiked along clifftops and traversed overflowing creeks to help remote and hard-to-reach communities.

A friendly caring voice in challenging times

Every day volunteers across the country are calling people who have been left isolated and vulnerable by the COVID-19 pandemic. They’re letting people know someone cares and they’re not forgotten.

Voluntary Submission to the Natural Disasters Royal Commission

Our contribution to ensuring the nation’s disaster preparedness, response and recovery systems are as strong as they can be.

National Volunteer Week 2020

A celebration of those who make a world of difference

New growth on blackened land

A vegetable garden re-grows hope for a family after fire tears through their home and dreams.

World Red Cross Day: The Power of Connection

On May 8th let’s make our local connections have a global impact.

Australian Bushfires Report

1 January – 15 April 2020

Defusing family tension and conflict during the COVID-19 pandemic

Advice to help you watch for signs of stress among family members and techniques to defuse tensions and conflict during coronavirus isolation.

Too many still aren’t taking COVID-19 seriously

Italian Red Cross chief Francesco Rocca pleads for the world to learn from the mistakes of his country.

We need to be the 90% during the COVID-19 pandemic

Red Cross National Resilience Adviser John Richardson and Health Technical Lead Lisa Natoli urge us to become 90% heroes in the fight against coronavirus.

Silver linings during COVID-19

In our neighbourhoods and around the world, everywhere we look, people are sharing their strength, resilience and compassion in the face of the coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic.

How to prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic

Simple steps you can take to protect yourself and help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Syria Crisis – 9 Years On

Renewed fighting in the country’s North-West is a stark reminder that the conflict is far from over.

International Women’s Day 2020

This International Women’s Day we pay tribute to incredible women the world over for powering change, for helping others, for leading the way.

Six days in Mallacoota

Pamela became a Red Cross volunteer last December. Her first emergency experience was in the communities impacted by the unprecedented bushfires that have burned across the country. This is her story.

Each work tells a story

Household items salvaged from the ashes are being turned into artworks that tell a story of recovery.

Our response to the bushfires: 21 Feb 2020

Learn what Red Cross is doing to support communities affected by the Black Summer bushfires and how your donations are helping.

Helping people pick up the pieces in bushfire-hit Batemans Bay

Red Cross volunteer and Batemans Bay local Lin Barnes knows it will take time for people to recover from the Black Summer bushfires.

First aid ups fire-fighters’ skills

How fire-fighters are using first aid and mental health first aid taught by Red Cross to help during this season’s devastating bushfires.

The best of humanity in the worst of times

When a disaster like the Black Summer bushfires strike some wonderful people step in to help, says long-time Red Cross volunteer Sally Dowse.

The underrated power of tea and comfort

Deb Egan knows the tangible power of a listening ear, a smile and a simple cup of tea to someone caught up in a crisis like this summer’s bushfires.

Our response to the bushfires: 13 Feb 2020

Learn what Red Cross is doing to support communities affected by the Black Summer bushfires and how your donations are helping.

Coping with Australia’s summer of bushfires

Disasters can be distressing and stressful and you don’t have to be directly involved to be affected. Find out how to look after yourself and others in the wake of the Black Summer bushfires.

Our response to the bushfires: 6 Feb 2020

Learn what Red Cross is doing to support communities affected by the Black Summer bushfires and how your donations are helping.

Reaching out to fire-affected communities: our volunteers go home to home

Red Cross volunteer Kacey Lam gives this first-hand account of outreach visits to people recovering after the fires.

Our response to the bushfires: 30 Jan 2020

Learn what Red Cross is doing to support communities affected by this summer's bushfires and how your donations are helping.

Recovery takes time

Living through the Black Saturday bushfires at Kinglake in 2009 taught Anne Leadbeater what it takes to recover from a disaster. Now she offers some timely advice.

Our response to the bushfires: 24 Jan 2020

Learn what Red Cross is doing to support communities affected by this summer's bushfires and how your donations are helping.

Statement on Red Cross response to bushfires

Wednesday 22 January 2020

It sounded like a hundred jets

After Matt lost his home to bushfires on New Year’s Eve, Red Cross was there to help.

Our response to the bushfires: 17 Jan 2020

Learn what Red Cross is doing to support communities affected by this summer's bushfires and how your donations are helping.

These are extraordinary times with extraordinary responses

A message from Red Cross CEO Judy Slatyer.

Young people think a major war is likely in their lifetime

Almost half of all millennials think it’s more likely than not there will be a third world war in their lifetime, a new Red Cross survey finds.

A sweet approach to supporting fire affected communities

“We saw what was happening on the news and just wanted to help in some way,” said 14-year-old Clara.

This is what people go through in disasters

The whole range of human emotion is on show, right now, sometimes all at once. The very nature of emergency or disaster both takes away some of the boundaries, and sharpens the focus.

Our response to the bushfires: 10 Jan 2020

Learn what Red Cross is doing to support communities affected by this summer's bushfires and how your donations are helping.

Surviving the fires

One family’s story on surviving the catastrophic Mallacoota fires and how Red Cross was there to help.

Leaving Mallacoota

Cut off from the world by fires, the only way out was by ship. Red Cross was there at every step.

Your donations in action

How you're helping the people who've faced devastating fires this summer.

Our response to the bushfires: 3 Jan 2020

Learn what Red Cross is doing to support communities affected by this summer's bushfires and how your donations are helping.

13 quotes that truly moved us in 2019

Words are powerful tools – they can start movements, light up the darkest of days, and they can even change the world. Some of them you will never forget.

How Aussies are rallying to help as a record bushfire season hits

People, your generosity and enthusiasm to help has floored us as Australia copes with one of the worst bushfire seasons on record.

Our 24 favourite photos of 2019

Every small act of kindness matters. Put together they are powerful; they can change our lives. These 24 photos from around the world are fundamentally about humanity, and how kindness makes a difference.

Stop shooting at us

Each year on 17 December we honour our Red Cross and Red Crescent colleagues killed for their humanitarian work.

Support us at Bunnings this Christmas

Buy a sausage, eat a slice of cake or wrap a present and you’ll be helping us out.