Financial reports
We reached new milestones in the 2011 financial year with our key fundraising, human rights campaigning and awareness raising activities.
Financial Report 2011
Browse through our financial report below or download the report in full (PDF 1.6Mb).
2011 objectives
In 2011 Amnesty International Australia's goals were to:
- Respond rapidly to international crises and individuals at risk.
- Stand with Indigenous communities to end human rights abuses.
- Campaign for a National Plan to stop violence against women.
- Champion the rights of refugees and asylum seekers.
- Demand dignity for people living in poverty.
- Increase support to the global movement, particularly in the Asia Pacific.
Our priority focus areas include:
- Empowering people living in poverty
- Defending vulnerable people on the move
- Defending people from violence by state and non-state actors
- Protecting freedom of expression and freedom from discrimination
- Promoting human rights to propose and create solutions for governments
- Promoting active participation by our members and supporters
- Investing in volunteers, staff, leadership and systems
- Increasing our donors and growing our resources
See 10 things we achieved together in 2011.
2011 milestones
An end to the Malaysia Deal
When the government announced the Malaysia Deal, it was our crucial research that revealed the abuse asylum seekers could potentially suffer. Faced with a huge public outcry - and a High Court decision which ruled the deal was illegal - the government had no choice but to scrap the Malaysia Deal.
165,000 call for accountability in Syria
When the situation in Syria began to deteriorate in March, over 165,000 Amnesty supporters signed a petition calling on the UN Security Council to refer Syria to the ICC for possible crimes against humanity. This call has since been echoed by Kevin Rudd on behalf of the Australian government.
Fighting for traditional Aboriginal homelands
We worked with Aboriginal communities to fight for their right to remain on their traditional homelands. Seeing Alyawarr/Anmatyerr elder Rosalie Kunoth-Monks deliver a fiery speech at Parliament house was an incredible moment. Your support was equally moving, with thousands of letters, signatures and phonecalls made to demand an end to this injustice.
A Taste of Freedom
Amnesty International turned 50. It's incredible to realise that from our start in a small London office in 1961, today we're part of a global movement of over 3 million people across 150 countries. On our 50th anniversary, thousands of supporters across the world raised a glass to celebrate our special day.
Our progress
Respond rapidly to international crises and individuals at risk
Thousands of supporters across the world raised a glass to celebrate our 50th anniversary in May 2011 and took action on behalf of dozens of individuals still at risk around the world.
Responding to international crises, as the Arab Spring engulfed the Middle East and North Africa, we were on the ground monitoring and reporting human rights abuses. We contributed to a global call of more than 165,000 people for accountability in Syria when violence against civilians began in March 2011. This work continues in 2012, with a vigil in March to show solidarity with the people of Syria and show outrage towards increased levels of violence.
After years of campaigning on human rights abuses in Burma, we celebrated when hundreds of prisoners of conscience we have worked on in Australia were released in 2011. We also had an impact on the release of Iranian doctors Arash and Kamiar Alaei, imprisoned for their work on HIV/AIDs, with hundreds of letters sent on their behalf to authorities by our supporters.
In ongoing work on the death penalty, we helped collect over 250,000 signatures on a petition to end the death penalty in Belarus.
Stand with Indigenous communities to end human rights abuses.
In August 2011 we launched a campaign in partnership with the Alyawarr/Amnatyerr Peoples of Utopia in the Northern Territory to fight for their right to remain on their traditional homelands. This campaign has already led to considerably increased awareness of and discussion about the fate of homelands in Federal Parliament and will continue through 2012, focusing on equity in housing maintenance funding and proper recognition of the value of homelands.
Campaign for a National Plan to stop violence against women.
In February 2011, after six years of dedicated campaigning by our supporters, a National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children was endorsed by federal, state and territory governments.
Champion the rights of refugees and asylum seekers.
In July 2011, the Australian and Malaysian governments agreed to swap 800 asylum seekers who arrived by boat in Australia with 4,000 refugees (predominantly from Burma) who were in Malaysia awaiting resettlement. AIA responsed instantly, promoting our report on detention conditions in Malaysia to politicians and the media. At the same time, 42 asylum-seekers challenged their removal to Malaysia.
In a landmark decision, the High Court ruled in August 2011 that the swap was invalid under Australia’s Migration Act. Faced with a huge public outcry from Amnesty International and others over the deal’s breach of human rights and the High Court ruling that the deal was illegal, the government had no choice but to scrap the Malaysia deal - a huge win for asylum seekers.
In September 2011, after a concerted lobbying effort by Amnesty International, the government introduced Complementary Protection laws that strengthened protection for people fleeing abuses - such protection as female genital mutilation, honour killings and the death penalty - which are not covered by the UN Refugee Convention.
Measuring our impact
Amnesty Australia measures its impact using a range of performance indicators, including:
- Achievement of campaign milestones and/or overarching objectives.
- Our presence in the media and time spent with decision makers.
- How many people take action for human rights.
- Return on investment of our fundraising activities.
Principal activities during the year
The principal activities of the company during the course of the financial year were human rights campaigning, awareness raising and fundraising. There have been no significant changes in the nature of these activities during the year.
Results
The operating deficit for 2011 amounted to $3,490,851 (compared to an operating deficit of $93,785 in 2010). The larger than anticipated deficit is due to increased spending late in 2011 in order to build up our supporter base. We expect this spending to impact favourably on revenues for 2012 and beyond.
Significant changes in the state of affairs
In accordance with the decisions of the International Council Meeting of Amnesty International, Amnesty International Australia will significantly increase our contributions to the global movement over the next five years. It is expected that this will see the funds supplied to the global movement rise from current levels of 25 per cent of income in 2011 (up from 22 per cent in 2010) to 40 per cent of income in 2017.
Our goals for 2012
Looking forward to 2012, our goals are to:
- Campaign for an effective Arms Trade Treaty.
- Respond rapidly to international crises and individuals at risk.
- Stand with Indigenous communities to end human rights abuses.
- Champion the rights of refugees and asylum seekers.
- Strengthen, empower and grow our grassroots support.
Increase support to our global movement and sustain growth and impact in the Asia Pacific.
