Social Justice Commission has the object of enabling the Uniting Church in Western Australia to maintain a vision of wholeness of life for all people and of holding before the Church the importance of standing alongside those at the fringe of society, the poor, the marginalized and the oppressed, in a commitment to solidarity and advocacy as a direct implication of faith in the Gospel.
If you would like to receive our weekly email update, which is sent out every Thursday, please email the Social Justice Unit - social.justice@wa.uca.org.au with your request.
Social Justice & International Mission News
WORKSHOP: Ecumenical Social Justice Workshop - Saturday, 28 June
The Uniting Church Social Justice Board,
MEDIA RELEASE: Minister endorses new Corrective Services Advisory Council members
"Corrective Services Minister Margaret Quirk announced the final membership of the Corrective Services Advisory Council in State Parliament today". Rosemary Hudson Miller, Associate General Secretary of the Uniting Church’s Justice and Mission division, will chair the advisory council. Read more.
MEDIA RELEASE: Uniting Church Welcomes Action for Disarmament
MEDIA RELEASE: The Uniting Church in Australia has today commended the Federal Government for its latest efforts towards banning nuclear weapons. Read more.
UCOA: Church Supports Foreign Aid Policy Change on Safe Pregnancy Services
WCC: Worldwide week of action for peace in Israel & Palestine
Today in Jerusalem, at the launch of a worldwide week of action for peace in Israel and Palestine, different churches have come together for an ecumenical service giving thanks for "every church and parish around the world that is praying with us this day for peace". To read the media release, click here.
MEDIA RELEASE: Government Must Address Iraq's Humanitarian Needs
The Uniting Church in Australia has today called on the Australian Government to address the humanitarian crisis affecting Iraq, even though Australian troops are on the way home. To read the Uniting Church President, the Rev Gregor Henderson's comments, click here.
DEATH: Church mourns Papuan church leader
Rev Corinus Berotabui, Moderator of the Evangelical Christian Church in Papua, has died in a Jakarta hospital, after being ill for some months with lung cancer. The President of the Uniting Church in Australia, Gregor Henderson, today sent a letter to the people of Papua expressing the condolences of the Church. To read the letter, click here.
WCC: Churches Applaud Cluster Munitions Agreement
“Churches around the world are much encouraged” by the multilateral agreement on cluster munitions reached Wednesday in Dublin, and now look with expectation to “powerful governments that have not been at the negotiating table”, said World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia in a comment on the agreement today. To read the media release, click here.
RECONCILIATION WEEK 2008: Address by Professor Lowitja O'Donoghue
Aboriginal leader Lowitja O'Donoghue kicked off Reconciliation Week with her swansong address at St Peter's Anglican Cathedral in Adelaide on May 27 2008. To read the transcript of her address, click here.
EAST TIMOR TOOLS APPEAL LAUNCHED
The WA UIM Committee has just launched its "East Timor Tools Appeal".
As a part of the rehabilitation phase following the destruction of 1999, hand tractors, rice threshing machines, grinders and other basic agricultural equipment were distributed in East Timor. However, due to a lack of training, most of the equipment is now broken or damaged. With most Timorese families relying on agriculture for their food and livelihood, lack of mechanical skills and tools means they are generally unable to work their land efficiently and move beyond subsistence farming.
This appeal is seeking to address this problem by raising funds to pay the salary of a mechanic to work with the Uniting Church WA Synod's partner organisation in East Timor - Lafaek Diak Foundation.
We are also looking for donations of tools (either new or in good condition) to stock to a recently established Tool Library in the town of Triloka.
For more information, have a look at the appeal brochure, or contact the Social Justice Unit on 9260 9800.
Keep an eye out for your copy of the appeal brochure in the new issue of Revive.
MEDIA RELEASE: Deep concern for worsening situation in Zimbabwe
The peaceful environment which initially surrounded the March 29, 2008 national elections in Zimbabwe has changed significantly, going from bad to worse, and Uniting International Mission is asking people to maintain their interest, support and prayer. To read the rest of the UIM's media release, click here.
LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN: Free Berlin Movement
As is has already been one-year that Pastor Berlin V. Guerrero has been in prison, we enjoin you to add your voice to the many who are praying for his release. After careful consideration, we are appealing for you to write letters to two places—the Supreme Court where a motion for Pastor Berlin’s release has been pending since August, 2007 and to the Solicitor General who is opposing Pastor Berlin’s release. Want to write a letter? Click here to find out how.
MEDIA RELEASE: Uniting Church Centre goes Green
The Uniting Church moves a step closer to its aim of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions today, as it begins an energy audit of its administrative hub, the Uniting Church Centre. To read the Media Release, click here.
DEATH: Crispin Beltran (1933-2008) - Working Class Hero in the Philippines
On May 20th 2008, Crispin Beltran (known to many as Ka Bel), a great labor leader, an incorruptible parliamentarian, a staunch fighter for national freedom, democracy and international working class solidarity, died in the Philippines. He was 75. An activist in the Phillippines for over fifty years, Ka Bel was esteemed by laborers, peasants, urban poor and other marginalized sectors as a true defender of the toiling masses and as a staunch critic of privatization, deregulation and other destructive policies of globalization. To read more about the life and work of Ka Bel, click here.
MEDIA RELEASES: Refugee Council of Australia
The day after the release of the Rudd Government's first budget, the Refugee Council issued a statement in response to the Government's decision to scrap the Temporary Protection Visa system. To read the media release, click here.
The Refugee Council also issued a media release calling for reforms to the refugee determination system. "The controversy over the Immigration Minister’s decision not to intervene to prevent some failed asylum seekers from being deported highlights the need for reform of Australia’s refugee status determination system, the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) says." To read the media release, click here.
APPEAL: UCOA Burma Cyclone Appeal
We were pleased to hear this week that the relief and development division of Uniting Church Overseas Aid has launched the “UCOA Burma Cyclone Appeal” in partnership with the National Council of Churches of Australia (Christian World Service) and the Myanmar Council of Churches. The Uniting Church WA Synod will shortly be making a donation to the UCOA Burma Cyclone Appeal. We urge you to also consider making a donation to the appeal. Gifts over $2 are tax deductible.
To find out how you can donate (cheque, telephone & online donations are accepted), visit the UCOA website. (Donations can also be made through the WA Synod, contact Sarah in the Social Justice Unit on 9260 9800 for more details.)
To read Uniting International Mission's press release announcing the launch of the appeal, click here.
SORRY DAY 2008: Hasn't the Government already said sorry?
Sorry Day 2008 will be held on May 26 (12-2pm) at Wellington Square, East Perth, and planning for the event is well under way.
But the question of the moment seems to be "why is Sorry Day being held now that sorry has been said?" To find out why Sorry Day is still significant even after the apology on February 13, click here.
WCC FEATURE: Iraqi refugees cry out to Christians around the world for solidarity
"At an April meeting of Iraqi Christian refugees and church representatives from around the world at the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East in Damascus, Iraqi Christians who are now refugees in Syria spoke as church members from the U.S., Germany, Lebanon, Pakistan and Sweden, along with the general secretaries of the World Council of Churches and Middle East Council of Churches listened.
What the church representatives heard were stories of incredible suffering in Iraq and overflowing hospitality in Syria. They heard about the pain of living in Iraq and eventually leaving. They heard of the strain the influx of 1.5 million Iraqi refugees have placed on the economy of Syria creating the need for jobs, safety and security despite the unanswered questions of what next for the Iraqis."
To read the complete World Council of Churches feature, click here.
MEDIA RELEASE: Uniting Church appalled by plans to hold Burmese constitutional referedum in face of humanitarian disaster
"The Moderator of the Uniting Church, Robert Watson, today said he was appalled by reports the Burmese military junta is planning to move ahead with a constitutional referendum, despite the fact that thousands of Burmese people have been killed, injured and left homeless by a major hurricane disaster over the weekend."
To read the WA Synod's full media release, click here.
MEDIA RELEASE: Australian Church Leaders Commit to Pray and Urge Action on Deepening Zimbabwe Crisis
The Anglican Church, Catholic Church, Uniting Church and National Council of Churches in Australia support the call by the religious leaders of Zimbabwe for immediate international action to prevent an imminent crisis in Zimbabwe. "We express our deep concern over the deterioriating political, security, economic and human rights situation in Zimbabwe following the 29 March 2008 national elections and the failure of the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission to release the results of the Presidential election".
To read the media releases from the Australian church leaders and the Zimbabwean religious leaders, click here.
ARTICLE: Bring on the Bricklayers without Borders
Constructive debate about peace is long overdue in Iraq, writes Stuart Rees.
"An end to the war in Iraq depends on crafting a peace settlement. Yet in their recent testimony to the US Congress, General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker were unable to say what victory, let alone peace, would look like. In consequence, awful violence, such as the latest Battle for Basra, continues and proposals for troop withdrawal are repeatedly postponed."
To read to complete article, click here.
COMING SOON: Sorry Day 2008!
For more information email: sorryday08@gmail.com
MEDIA RELEASE: Measuring Indonesia's Good Faith in Human Rights
A Statement from the Community Legal Aid Institute in Indonesia forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission.
"Having been criticized by some leading states in the human rights field such as Canada and the Netherlands during the Universal Periodic Review session, Indonesia’s good faith in human rights clearly needs to be questioned once again. The question that needs to be asked is does Indonesia know the quintessence of human rights?"
To read the full media release, click here.
ICAN: "Australia must lead in the abolition of nuclear weapons."
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), launched a year ago by Australian doctors, already has some major wins on the board and is spreading throughout the world.
To read more about the work ICAN has been doing, what it has planned, and how you can get involved, click here.
UPDATE: Justice Proposals Passed by Assembly Standing Committee
AtAt the March 2008 Assembly Standing Committee (ASC) meeting, three justice proposals were passed. Click on the link below to read each of the proposals, which were passed without amendment.
1) Support for a National Charter for Human Rights
2) Proposal to Abolish the Australian Citizenship Test
3) The Uniting Church as Employer: Principles
MEDIA RELEASE: Sudan - Churches at a Crossroad
On April 4 2008, the World Council of Churches released the following media release: "Sudanese churches stand at a crossroads, said the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia. On the one hand, they face a transition from liberation fight to rebuilding their homes and communities. On the other, they live in a country where Islam and Christianity cross paths and the relationship between the two is vital".
To read more, click here.
MEDIA RELEASE: Prime Minister Called Upon to Protect Burrup
Robert Watson, Moderator of the Uniting Church WA Synod, in a recent letter to the Prime Minister, expressed the Church's concerns that the Burrup Peninsular is still under the threat of damage or destruction as a result of industrial expansion.
To read the complete Media Release click here.
WHO ON EARTH CARES? Uniting Church joins the call for decisive action on climate change
The Uniting Church in Australia has joined an unprecedented alliance of groups, representing nearly every sector of Australian society, in signing a statement calling on all political parties to rise to the challenge of tackling climate change.
Go to the Who on Earth Cares website: www.whoonearthcares.com
Read the Assembly statement about this statement here.
REPORT: Why they desist - understanding the life worlds of young offenders
Dr Yvonne Haigh has just released her report "Why they desist - understanding the life worlds of young offenders".
To read the executive summary of the report, click here.
Indigenous Rights Central to New Advocacy Initiative
The Uniting Church in Australia has circulated letters for concerned Australians to send to their Federal Government representatives and candidates, expressing concern about the intervention into Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory.
View full media release from National Assembly here.
You can view the letters in the left hand column.
Green Church Handbook and Website
As part of our committment to environmental sustainability the Social Justice Unit has produced the Green Church Handbook for Uniting Church congregations, schools and agencies. The handbook has also been accompanied by a 4 part study guide, and worship resources for Creation Sunday. The unit has an ongoing website resource which contains information by church and community organisations.
Access the Green Church Website for more information.
For copies of the handbook contact the Unit on 9260 9800.