Justice News
UnitingJustice Australia is the justice unit of the National Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia, pursuing national matters of social and economic justice, human rights, peace and the environment. It engages in advocacy and education and works collaboratively to communicate the Church's vision for a reconciled world. Read more...
UnitingJustice Australia
POSITION VACANT: Administration and Research Officer
UnitingJustice Australia is seeking to appoint a full-time Administration and Research Officer to provide administrative and communications support and assistance in research and the production of information and advocacy resources. Read more and see the Position Description here.
Uniting Church supports constitutional Change
The Uniting Church in Australia believes that today’s report from the Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People signals a landmark opportunity in our journey towards reconciliation. It is a necessary step following the moving apology delivered by the then Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, in February 2008. Read more
Indigenous Constitutional Recognition
UnitingJustice worked closely with a small group including Rev. Ken Sumner, Rev. Shayne Blackman, Rev. Dr Chris Budden, Rev. Alistair Macrae and others, on the Assembly submission to support Constitutional change in Australia. Building on the Uniting Church's own history and recent experience in the adoption of a revised Preamble for our own Constitution, we are eager to share our story with the Government-appointed High Level Panel as they consider options for change to Australia's Constitution. You can read the Assembly submission here.
President Calls for Compassion for Asylum Seekers
In the aftermath of the failed attempt to amend the Migration Act to allow asylum seekers to be transferred to Malaysia, the President of the Uniting Church, Rev. Alistair Macrae, released a statement calling on the Government to use the introduction of onshore processing as an opportunity to begin a new era of compassion and hospitality towards vulnerable asylum seekers. You can read the media release here , and the submission to the Inquiry on the Government's proposed amendments here.
Uniting Church calls for a new era of care for those fleeing persecution
The Uniting Church in Australia welcomes yesterday’s announcement that the protection claims by asylum seekers will now be assessed onshore as an opportunity for the Government to re-commit to a policy that upholds our international obligations and sets a standard of care and compassion of which we can be proud. Read more
Uniting Church shocked at proposed Migration Act amendments
The Uniting Church in Australia has today written to the Labor Caucus urging them to reject the proposed amendments to the Migration Act. Read more
Uniting Church calls for a re-evaluation of thinking on asylum seekers
The Uniting Church in Australia has welcomed the High Court decision that held invalid the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship's declaration of Malaysia as a safe country for the transfer of asylum seekers who have arrived in Australia. Read more
Deterring People Smuggling Bill
In what was a hectic time for the UnitingJustice team, Elenie and Siobhan had just four days to respond to the Government's Inquiry into the Deterring People Smuggling Bill. The Uniting Church has long been concerned about the frequency of amendments to the Migration Act, and the speed with which the changes are rushed through. Our submission may be viewed online here.
Minerals Resource Rent Tax Bill
While completing the submission to the Inquiry on the Deterring People Smuggling Bill, Siobhan and Elenie were also completing a submission to the Inquiry on the Minerals Resource Rent Tax (MRRT) Bills. In both of these submissions, UnitingJustice expressed our deep concern over the short consultation period - in this case, we were only given three days to prepare a submission that required a reading of over 800 pages of legislation and explanatory memoranda. The submission is available here.
Uniting Church Commends Australia’s Clean Energy Future
The Uniting Church in Australia has congratulated the Government and the members of the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee on today's announcement of a price on pollution. Read more
Protest and public statement against Northern Territory Intervention
Twenty four eminent South Australians today sent a letter of protest containing a public statement to the Prime Minister about the continuing Northern Territory Intervention and the Government’s totally inadequate current consultation process. Read more
New fact sheets on refugee and asylum seeker issues
The Information and Action Resources page of our Refugee and Asylum Seekers work has been updated with new fact sheets explaining some of the big policy issues in this area.
These include information on what the Refugee Convention is all about, the policies of mandatory detention and processing asylum seekers offshore (outside of Australia), and answers to some of the most commonly-heard myths about asylum seekers and refugees.
Click here to download these resources.
An Economy of Life resources for church members
The Twelfth Assembly meeting of the Uniting Church in Australia adopted a statement which discusses on how we understand human progress and our relationship with the natural world, titled An Economy of Life: Re-imagining human progress for a flourishing world.
Worship resources
These prayers have been prepared by the Uniting Church in Australia’s Assembly Working Group on Worship.
The themes they address make them particularly suitable for use in worship and private prayer in conjunction with the Federal Election 2010 resources prepared for Church members by the Assembly – Building an Economy for Life: your faith, your vote, your voice.
Click here to download these resources in Word
Booklet
UnitingJustice also has copies of An Economy of Life in a colourful, bright booklet available for church members. They can be ordered (free of charge) by contacting UnitingJustice on 02 8267 4236 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
A PDF version of the booket is available here
Christmas Island chaplaincy: a light in the darkness
Christmas Island is a tiny speck in the Indian Ocean, yet it will seem vast compared to some of the tight spaces Rev Christine Senini worked in. And she won’t have to sleep in a bunk bed.
The President of the Uniting Church in Australia, Rev. Alistair Macrae has added his name to the list of prominent Australians calling for reform to our asylum seeker policies. UnitingJustice has continually advocated for a more compassionate approach to these vulnerable members of our society.
UnitingJustice and the Uniting Church in Australia Assembly has joined the chorus of voices calling for Constitutional recognition of the unique contribution that First Peoples have made to this country. Amendments to the Australian Constitution should also include removal of racist and discriminatory language and clauses. The open letter was accompanied by a submission to the Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition made by UnitingJustice.
UJA Reference Committee member, Professor John Langmore, discusses the political momentum behind and the public benefits of introducing a financial transactions tax.
Rethink Refugees - watch UJA National Director, Rev. Elenie Poulos, reflecting on her work in refugee advocacy as part of Amnesty's information campaign
Preamble posters and Covenanting resources
Download or print your own here.
Position Vacant: Senior Media Officer
The Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia seeks to appoint an experienced media professional to the role of Senior Media Officer. Read more...
Churches solid on poker machine reform
The major Christian churches in Australia have reaffirmed their commitment to the Government’s proposed poker machine reform this morning in the face of Catholic priest Father Chris Riley’s apparent support for the inaccurate, well-funded industry campaign. Read more...
