The Australian Catholic Social Justice Council’s (ACSJC) Briefing for May is now up on the website. The Briefing covers issues of Catholic social teaching in May 2019, highlighting resources, media items and diary events. It can be read here (ACSJC_Monthly Briefing_No 211)
Welcome to the monthly news and information briefing from the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, the social justice and human rights agency of the Catholic Church in Australia. This email contains highlights only. The full Briefing is online.
In This Issue:
From Bishop Brady
Current Issues/Resources
ACSJC Publications
Social Justice Events:
NATIONAL | NSW | ACT | VIC | QLD | SA | WA | TAS |
NTNews Monitor
Social Justice Diary
FROM BISHOP BRADY: Bishops’ Letter says Basic Minimum Wage should be a Living Wage:
In their pastoral letter for the Feast of St Joseph the Worker on 1 May, the Australian Bishops continue their long-term argument that it is only fair for anyone working full time to receive a wage that is at least sufficient to support themselves and their family. ‘Every working family should be able to live in “frugal comfort” as Leo XIII put it. It is shameful that there is such a thing as low wage poverty in Australia today.’ Read more
ISSUES: Bishops’ Election Statement urges politics in the service of peace:
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference statement for the 2019 Federal Election draws attention to the needs of those who are poor or vulnerable including the homeless, survivors of child sexual abuse, people with disability, asylum seekers and refugees, and those requiring aged or palliative care. It calls for a renewed commitment to closing the gap between Indigenous Australians and the rest of the population, and for ‘an integrated approach to combatting poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded and at the same time protecting nature’. The statement, which is available for download, presents key principles of Catholic Social teaching to be considered and offers a prayer for the election. Read more
PUBLICATIONS: It’s not too late to order the 2019 Social Justice Diary:
The 2019 Social Justice Diary includes the dates of significant events, anniversaries and special days which celebrate particular aspects of social justice. The Diary provides a social justice program for the full year. Information and ideas for prayer and reflection are included. It is an essential resource for teachers and parishes. Read more
EVENTS: 26 May – National Sorry Day
This is an Australia-wide observance held on this day each year. For 150 years, indigenous children in Australia were separated from their families. The Bringing Them Home report in 1997 shed light on this history of forced removal policies of past Australian governments and their devastating impact on Aboriginal communities and culture. National Sorry Day sees thousands of Australians from all walks of life coming together to honour the Stolen Generations. Read more
NATIONAL | NSW | ACT | VIC | QLD | SA | WA | TAS | NT
NEWS: Vinnies says Budget failed fairness test:
The St Vincent de Paul Society National Council said the federal Budget surplus means little to the growing number of families and single people who are living in entrenched poverty. It welcomed some positives but the Society’s national president Claire Victory expressed concern that the Budget continues to ignore the plight of the most disadvantaged Australians. She said it fails to address two dominant drivers of poverty and disadvantage in Australia – the soaring costs of basic housing and below-poverty-level income support payments. Read more
DIARY: 6 May 1992 – Introduction of mandatory detention of asylum seekers:
On this day Australia adopted a mandatory detention policy obliging the Australian Government to detain all persons entering or being in the country without a valid visa, while their claim to remain in Australia is processed and security and health checks undertaken. Also at the same the law was changed to permit indefinite detention, from the previous limit of 273 days. Mandatory detention continues to be part of a campaign by successive Australian governments to stop people without a valid visa (typically asylum seekers) entering the country by boat. The policy was instituted by the Keating Government in 1992, and has been varied by the subsequent Howard, Rudd, Gillard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments. Read more.
AUSTRALIAN CATHOLIC SOCIAL JUSTICE COUNCIL PO Box 7246, Alexandria NSW 2015. Tel: (02) 8306 3499, Fax: (02) 8306 3498, Email: admin@acsjc.org.au Website: http://www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au. ACSJC Briefing is sent by email at the beginning of each month (except January). To subscribe or unsubscribe, send an email to admin@acsjc.org.au.
