Uniting Justice Australia

Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum

The Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF), a World Council of Churches program, is a platform that rallies churches together enabling them to coordinate their efforts and initiatives for a just peace in Palestine-Israel. The PIEF has a new website, http://pief.oikoumene.org, and monthly newsletter.

 

'Unpacking Copenhagen: What happened, what it means, and where we're headed'

Did the huge volume of media coming out of Copenhagen overwhelm you? Are you unsure what the final outcomes will ultimately mean? If so, you might be interested in attending the public opening session of the Climate Action Network Australia's annual conference.

Wednesday, February 24 2010, 9-11am
Mitchell Theatre, Level 1 Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts, 280 Pitt St Sydney
Cost: $30 (incl. GST), including morning tea
Book online by February 11 via the CANA website

Speakers will address the machinations of the two busy weeks in Copenhagen and will dissect the meaning of the agreement that occurred. The aspects of development, political agreements, climate science and scientific impacts will be explored. Then the conversation will broaden into a deeper discussion about the role of the diverse climate movement in influencing the UNFCCC, and the role of grassroots power bases to achieve a safe energy future. For more information on this event, see the CANA website.

Pacific Council of Churches asks where are Australia and New Zealand at Copenhagen?

As the 15th Conference of Parties reaches midway, it is clear that the issue of climate change means survival to some countries and economic growth to others.  The Association of Small Island States have submitted a proposal to secure the twin objectives of survival of the Kyoto Protocol and to strengthen the UNFCCC with a new ‘Copenhagen’ Protocol that can be adopted here in Copenhagen, said Ambassador Dessima Williams of Grenada.

Whilst the Pacific island government delegations in Copenhagen are all in support of the AOSIS proposal, it is strange to see that New Zealand and Australia are surprisingly silent and nowhere to be seen.

We urge our partner Churches and ecumenical bodies in Australia to call on the Australian government to show leadership as the chair of the Pacific Islands Forum and demonstrate support towards the AOSIS position as most, if not all Pacific Islands Forum member countries are members of the AOSIS.

Read the full media release from the PCC

Planet Prayer - daily prayer resources for the climate and Copenhagen

The ecumenical Social Justice Roundtable in Perth, Western Australia invites you to join them in praying for positive outcomes at the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (Cop15).

From December 7-18, 2009, the city of Copenhagen will host the most important climate change-related meeting since the 1997 meeting at which the Kyoto Protocol was adopted.

Join with us as we offer daily prayers for the environment, as well as for peace, understanding, willingness to listen, safety, courage, justice and positive outcomes in Copenhagen.

By signing up on the Planet Prayer website, between December 4-18 you will receive a daily email which will include a bible reading, a prayer and prayer points for that day. You can unsubscribe at any time. Full copies of the resources are also available in advance, by request.

To sign up, visit the Planet Prayer website.

Planet Prayer is an initiative of the ecumenical Social Justice Roundtable in Perth, Western Australia, made up of people from a range of Christian denominations, all of whom are passionate about working ecumenically to address social justice issues.

Go, count your loaves!

The National Director of UnitingJustice, Rev. Elenie Poulos, recently attended the World Council of Churches United Nations Advocacy Week in New York.

Elenie delivered the opening sermon at the meeting, which can be downloaded here in PDF, or here in Word.

In the sermon, Elenie asks "Are we ready to be the counter-culture church of our calling?" The reading for the sermon was Mark 6:30-46.

Elenie was also interviewed about her sermon while in New York, and you can listen to that interview here on the World Council of Churches website.

Government urged to reinstate Racial Discrimination Act in the NT

The National Assembly of the Uniting Church has added its endorsement to a letter to the Prime Minster, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and the Attorney General urging for the immediate reinstatement of the operation of the Racial Discrimination Act in relation to all aspects of the Northern Territory Intervention.

A copy of the letter can be downloaded here

 

Call to Action: a Human Rights Act for Australia

The Consultation’s independent committee, after hearing from thousands of Australians, recommended that the Federal Government introduce a Human Rights Act.

We are urging the Federal Government to act on this recommendation, and give all Australians the human rights protection they deserve, however we also need you to do the same.

We know that federal politicians are hearing that all Christians are opposed to a Human Rights Act.

Some religious leaders are concerned that a national Human Rights Act will undermine freedom of religion in Australia. On the contrary, we now have a great opportunity to enshrine, for the first time, the right to freedom of religion in Commonwealth legislation.

It is important that they hear from Christians who support a Human Rights Act. READ MORE...

 

News and comment on a Human Rights Act for Australia

The federal Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, has released the report from the National Human Rights Consultation.

The report recommends that Australia should enact a Human Rights Act, with further key recommendations including the development of a national human rights education plan, auditing of all legislation, policies and practices to ensure they comply with human rights, and the establishment of a Joint Committe on Human Rights to review all legislation for compliance with human rights. The report from the consultation is available here.

Following on from the release of this report, the Uniting Church has been active in expressing its support for a Human Rights Act. For more, see:

Speech by Rev. Alistair Macrae, President of the Uniting Church in Australia at the Human Rights Act Parliamentary Forum
Parliament House, Canberra
25 November 2009
Download as PDF
Download in Word

Surprise! Not all Christians think the same way about human rights
Rev. Elenie Poulos, National Director, UnitingJustice Australia
27 October 2009
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We support a Human Rights Act
Rev. Alistair Macrae, President, Uniting Church in Australia
23 October 2009
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Uniting Church welcomes human rights report
8 October 2009
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In 24 October, the General Secretary of the National Assembly of the Uniting Church, Rev. Terence Corkin, responded with a letter to The Australian newpaper to a story entitled 'Clergy unite in opposition to rights charter'. Rev. Corkin's letter is available here on The Australian's website.

UnitingJustice Australia has also produced a briefing paper which outlines the current state of play, explains the Uniting Church's support for a Human Rights Act and addresses some common concerns about a Human Rights Act.
Download this paper in PDF
Download this paper in Word

 

An Economy of Life: Re-imagining human progress for a flourishing world

We are very pleased to report that the proposal brought to the 12th Assembly by UnitingJustice, titled An Economy of Life: Re-imagining human progress for a flourishing world, was adopted at the meeting.

The statement includes a discussion of the current crises facing humankind and the planet, and presents an alternative Christian vision for how we might reshape our relationship with each other and the earth. It also includes resolutions which call on the Church to re-examine its life and on the Australian Government to develop policies and structures, both domestically and internationally, which recognise that human and ecological flourishing require much more than the creation of wealth.

Download the statement as PDF
Download the statement in Word

A colourful booklet presenting the Economy of Life statement in full has also been produced. You can download that booklet here, and printed copies will shortly be available from UnitingJustice.

In the coming months, UnitingJustice will be producing resources to help church members to engage with the themes and issues emerging from the statement.

About the 12th Assembly: every three years some 265 members of the Uniting Church in Australia, elected from across the length and breadth of the country by Synods and Presbyteries meet for six days, in a different state each time. This group forms the decision-making body of the Assembly, discussing social and policy issues relating to the Church.
Find out more on the 12th Assembly website.