Uniting Justice Australia

Improving the electoral process in Australia

At its inauguration in 1977, the Uniting Church pledged to involve itself in social and national affairs and articulated its commitment to human rights, including the right of all people to participate in the decision making of their country. We believe that a flourishing democracy will accord every citizen an equal right to participate in the political system, and the right to vote in general elections is a foundational element of this participation.
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UnitingJustice Reference Committee

UnitingJustice Australia is seeking expressions of interest for our Reference Committee (for August 2009 - August 2012).

If you are passionately committed to the gospel of justice and peace, keen to contribute your gifts and experiences as part of a small, hardworking, voluntary team, and believe in the national life of the Church, please consider applying. We are especially looking for people with expertise in environmental issues and economics.

For more information, see:

UJA Reference Committee - Call for Expressions of Interest
UJA Reference Committee - Selection Criteria
UJA Operational Guidelines

Expressions of interest addressing the criteria above, along with a brief CV outlining relevant experience, can be emailed or mailed to UnitingJustice Australia, closing 31 July 2009. Please contact UnitingJustice if you require any further information.

ph: (02) 8267 4236
email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
mail: PO Box A2266, Sydney South, NSW 1235

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

UnitingJustice Australia's proposal for the 12th Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia is titled 'An Economy of Life: Re-imaging human progress for a flourishing world'. The statement addresses the ‘crises’ humankind and the planet are now facing, and imagines a different story for God’s creation, an ‘economy of life’ marked by regard for the common good, where all people have access to what is necessary for their flourishing and where people contribute to the continued flourishing of the planet.

Download the proposal as a PDF
Download the proposal in Word

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.

Submission to the National Human Rights Consultation

UnitingJustice Australia has recently prepared a submission on behalf of the National Assembly of the Uniting Church to the National Human Rights Consultation. In March 2008, the Assembly Standing Committee of the Uniting Church adopted a resolution in support of a federal, legislative Human Rights Act for Australia. This submission explains our support for such an Act.

Download this submission as a PDF
Download this submission in Word

About the Consultation: on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Federal Attorney General Robert McClelland launched the National Human Rights Consultation, appointing an independent committee to inquire into the views of the Australian community on the protection and promotion of human rights in Australia. The committee has been conducting roundtable workshops and accepting submissions from the public and is due to report their findings back to the Government by August 31 2009. Find out more about the consultation on its official website

Find out more about the Uniting Church's support for an Australian human rights act

New brochures for Uniting Church members

UnitingJustice has produced two new colourful, informative brochures for church members. They present the Uniting Church National Assembly's statement on human rights Dignity in Humanity: Recognising Christ in Every Person, and the Assembly's statement on climate change For the Sake of the Planet and all its People.

View a sample of the Dignity in Humanity brochure
View a sample of the For the Sake of the Planet and all its People brochure

These brochures are provided free of charge, and are useful to make available in church foyers, at church events and for the general information of people who are interested in these issues. Both brochures have been printed on carbon neutral paper.

Please contact UnitingJustice to obtain copies of one or both of these brochures (please indicate how many copies you would like, and provide a mailing address).

Click here to view the other brochures produced by UnitingJustice for church members.

Human Rights in Australia: whose lives do we grieve?

The National Director of UnitingJustice, Rev. Elenie Poulos, recently spoke at a forum on current local, national and international human rights issues at The Corner Uniting Church in Warradale, South Australia.

Human rights discourse is the universal language we have developed (out of the worst chapter of human history) to talk about our shared values and to describe the conditions necessary for the ensuring that we keep our eyes on the idea of the ‘common good’. It is expressed in law because the law is one of the best tools we have for describing a society’s values and keeping us accountable to each other.

Download the speech in PDF
View the speech as HTML

Click here to find out more about work of UnitingJustice in the area of human rights