News

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.

Refugees with insecure visas experience more trauma and depression: study

People on temporary visas are more likely to have experienced trauma, but a new long-term study shows they’re ready to contribute.

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.

Courage and resilience bring hope amidst devastation

NSW & ACT Director Poppy Brown recently visited bushfire affected communities in NSW. Here she talks about why that gives her hope.

Top End kids are getting prepared

Kids in communities evacuated when a cyclone crashed into their community, are learning what to do, and pack, if they face emergencies in the future.

Humanity: our bravest and most enduring tech trend

We all have a duty of care to the people we represent and communities we are a part of to ensure the human experience is central to new technologies, products and services.

The Christmas Gift Guide for the trickiest people on your list

It’s that fun time of year again when we hunt for the perfect gift for the great people we share our lives with.

Red Cross prison wellbeing program launches in Perth

An internationally acclaimed Red Cross program which improves the safety and wellbeing of prisoners has launched in Perth’s Acacia Prison,.

The humanitarian cost of climate change

A new Red Cross report outlines the human toll and financial costs of doing nothing as natural disasters increase as a result of climate change.

Movies to change the way you see the world, part 2

Because you loved our first list of must-watch movies we’ve created part two: 17 movies with messages we think are worth sharing.

Climate change is a humanitarian issue

We need to act now to support communities adapt to a changing climate.

Bringing family together after the horrors of war

Hayfa is on a search to find her husband. She last saw him when they were separated by fighters in their Yazidi village, in northern Iraq.

Walking the tightrope to avoid a forgotten crisis in Cox’s Bazar

Anniversaries matter. Birthdays, weddings, anniversaries of the death of loved ones have a deep resonance for most of us.

The sludge is clearing after two years in Bangladesh camps

Trudging through muddy tracks in the monsoon rains to relief distribution sites, dilapidated bamboo retaining walls hold up precarious slopes of clay.

A message from our new Patron

Statement from His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (retired), Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia and Patron of the Australian Red Cross Society.

The Geneva Conventions, Lego and Road Runner turn 70

In 1949, Australia’s population had just hit 8 million, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was brand new, Joan Sutherland was starting out, and it was the heyday of Betty Grable and Bing Crosby.

Melbourne’s M*A*S*H nurse on the frontline

The scene is like a real-life version of M*A*S*H. In a makeshift medical facility in South Sudan, Kieren Box and other aid workers are called to fly to a wedding that has turned into a gunfight.

A note to those who say humanity is dead

On 19 August, World Humanitarian Day.

Tackling homelessness: Matt turns his life around

August 4th - 10th is Homelessness Week, raising awareness of people experiencing homelessness. We want you to meet Matt, who’s worked hard to overcome tremendous challenges in life and find somewhere safe to live.