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For those interested in reading more about current social and political issues, click here for the latest Thinking Points from the Centre for Policy Development
Indigenous Justice
The Uniting Church hopes for a nation which acknowledges the rights of Indigenous Australians as the first people of this land, respects the land on which we live, and is commited to empowering Indigenous people to take control of their own lives and destinies.
Indigenous communities, both remote and urban, experience heightened levels of disadvantage. Indigenous Australians have worse health, education and employment outcomes across the board than the non-Indigenous population. Justice for Indigenous people will depend on policies which ensure resourcing in areas of health, housing, education, employment and welfare support.
At its 7th Assembly, the Uniting Church formally entered into a relationship of Covenant with its Indigenous members, recognising and repenting for the Church's complicity in the injustices perpetrated on Australia's Indigenous community, and pledging to move forward with a shared future. Congress' generous response to this statement, among other messages, called upon the broader Church to take up the mission of reconciliation.
The ongoing and continually renewing nature of the Covenant calls the Uniting Church to continually act to remove the systems and structures of discrimination and oppression in Australia.
Key Documents
The Covenanting Statement
The Uniting Church in Australia
July 1994
download as PDF
Response to the Covenanting Statement
Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress
July 1994
download as PDF
Matters Affecting Indigenous Peoples
Twelfth Assembly, 2009
download as PDF
download in Word
Prayer resources for Sorry Day and the Week of Prayer for Reconciliation (26 May - 3 June) from the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission available here on the NATSIEC website
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From JustAct in VicTas Synod: JustEndChristianPersecution - take action to assist Dr Alexis Montes, a lay leader in the health ministry of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) and his health worker colleagues.
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Position Vacant: Solidarity and Justice Officer, UCA South Australia (half-time position). The Solidarity and Justice Officer will resource the Church through education, advocacy and networking across a wide range of justice issues and commitments addressed by the Church.
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UnitingCare Australia Opposes Involuntary Income Management (25 Nov 2009): Uniting Care Australia National Director Lin Hatfield Dodds has called today for the Australian Government to focus on delivering effective support for disadvantaged and vulnerable families.
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