St. William’s Social Justice Group
Purpose
What is social justice
Current Issues and Activities
- Aboriginal deaths in custody
- Same sex marriage
Petition the Senate
Write to the PM
Refugees and Asylum Seekers
St Williams School Activity Club
Timor leste Companions
Date Claimers
Feedback
St William’s Social Justice Group was formed in June
2006. The first goal of the group was to develop a Statement
of Purpose to inform our reflective action.
Purpose
The St William’s Social Justice Group
exists to build an awareness and knowledge of social justice
issues, local, national and global.
Using scripture and Catholic Social Justice
teaching, we will work to develop a justice perspective and
make critical judgements that will determine our actions.
We will take specific and direct action
to bring about social justice.
We will engage the parish in action for
social justice and work collaboratively with other groups
in the parish and other people of good will.
The group meets on the third Wednesday of each month in the
Grovely Parish library. There are between 10-15 members with
an additional 10 volunteers available to offer practical,
hands on support.
What is Social Justice?
Social Justice is about society being organised so that the dignity, human rights and freedom of all people are promoted and upheld. Justice is a fundamental principle of both the Old and New Testaments. Church teaching insists that we cannot proclaim the Gospel unless we include justice as a non-negotiable part of the Good News. Working for Justice embraces charity; advocating change in society which overcomes injustice; and making choices about our lives which promote justice. The following guiding principles have been affirmed in Catholic Social Teaching:
• The dignity and freedom of the human person
• The common good – each has a responsibility to contribute to the good of all
• Solidarity – we are members’ of one human family; we are responsible for the welfare of all whatever their nationality, race, religion, culture or economic status.
• Subsidiarity – governments have a moral responsibility to promote and protect human dignity and human rights and to foster the common good.
For more go to http://cjpcbrisbane.wordpress.com/ and http://www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au/
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Current issues & activities
Aboriginal Deaths in Custody – time for another Royal Commission
It is 20 years since the report of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in 1991 and little has changed with disproportionately high rates of deaths in custody of indigenous people. The unresolved case of Cameron Doomadgee’s death while in police custody on Palm Island in 2004 highlights the continuing injustice towards our Aboriginal people. As Fr Frank Brennan writes in his recent article: “The Everest of justice is still well beyond the reach of Queensland Aborigines who happen to get in the way of the Queensland police. Meanwhile the Queensland police remain a law unto themselves.
Three years ago Premier Anna Bligh dismissed out of hand Mike Reynolds' call for a royal commission. She was confident that the legal processes would produce a transparent, just result. We are now at the end of the legal process line. The Bligh Government needs to listen again to responsible citizens like Reynolds and Smallwood. There must be a royal commission.” For the full article go to: http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=25740
The Tall Man - http://www.penguin.com.au/thetallman/ - is the story of Palm Island, the tropical paradise where one morning Cameron Doomadgee swore at a policeman and forty minutes later lay dead in a watch-house cell. It is the story of that policeman, the tall, enigmatic Christopher Hurley who chose to work in some of the toughest and wildest places in Australia, and of the struggle to bring him to trial.
Above all, it is a story in luminous detail of two worlds clashing - and a haunting moral puzzle that no reader will forget.
Exploring Family and Life Issues: Same-sex marriage How do we define marriage?
Ray Campbell's excellent presentation was heard by a full house at the Daley Centre on February 9, 2011. Ray briefly discussed the political situation in Australia concerning the issues of abortion and euthanasia, and then explored in greater detail the topic of same-sex marriage. Ray emphasised that in the current environment same-sex marriage is not predominantly a religious issue, nor an issue of equality. It is an argument about the NATURE of marriage. If we regard marriage as a procreative union directed towards raising children, and not simply a romantic, domestic union where children are an optional extra, then we need to carefully examine the logic of a redefinition of marriage. Ray gave us all a lot to reflect on and discuss, and highlighted the importance of voicing our concerns to our local member.
The following documents have been provided to give you more information on the topic, including a PDF of Ray's PPT presentation on the evening.
1. Talking points
2. Marriage: Myths and Realities
3. Ray Campbell's PPT slide presentation
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Revising Marriage
In May 2011, an ad hoc interfaith group under the sponsorship of the Australian Christian Lobby prepared discussion documents on “Revising Marriage”. The longer document, written primarily with clergy in mind, contains scriptural, theological and philosophical arguments and can be accessed at Revising Marriage. The following shorter documents (one being a 1 page condensed version of the other) contain just the more philosophical arguments and could be used to send to politicians:
Revising Marriage 1
Revising Marriage 2
The documents have been circulated to leaders of various churches and have been endorsed by them, including Archbishop Bathersby. We encourage people to send a copy of the short document (either the 4 page or one page version) to their local member and express their support for what is contained in the document. It is particularly important that we target members of the Labor Party.
As you may have heard, the Qld ALP endorsed same sex marriage at their State Conference. The matter is on the agenda for the national ALP conference in December, where it will be debated as to whether support for same sex marriage should be Labor Party policy. You could also write to the executive of the Qld ALP and the National executive to express your displeasure with the decision of the Qld ALP and expressing their hope that it will not be repeated at the national level. Arguments can be drawn from these documents. Contact details for our local federal members and senators are as follows:
Queensland MP
Queensland Senators
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Petition the Senate!
We encourage everyone to sign the petition to the Australian Senate - In support of Marriage as currently defined - that you will find near each of the Church entrances.
Marriage as currently defined in the Marriage Act (1961) is “... the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life,” each element of which is essential to the integrity of marriage and each of which was inserted into the Marriage Act on a bipartisan basis in 2004. We must act to ensure that marriage is maintained as one of the great institutions on which our society is built; that marriage provides for a stable family and is the umbrella under which children are nurtured and grow; and that marriage is worthy of protection and support. While we recognise that people have a right to live as they choose, they don’t have the right to redefine marriage for all of us. If you missed the petition you can download a copy here: Senate petition
Write to the Prime Minister
In addition to the above we encourage you to make your voice heard by writing direct to the Prime Minister. The following open letter can be used as is or adapted to your own words: PM letter
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Refugees & Asylum Seekers
Welcoming strangers – we need to replace fear by love of our neighbour. Asylum seekers are a small and manageable issue for a rich country like Australia. The desperate and often tragically unlucky souls seeking refuge in this country by boat are a tiny proportion of Australia's overall immigration intake. Should Australian governments decree it, they could be quickly, humanely and cheaply processed and resettled in the country they have chosen as their new home. The Australian Catholic Social Justice Council (ACSJC) has issued a media release criticising the Federal Government’s decision to build a new immigration detention centre on the outskirts of Darwin. To read the statement, go to the link on the front page of the ACSJC web site at: ACSJC Website
You cannot do everything, but you can do something - Oscar Romero
As highlighted on the front page of the Catholic Leader of 10 April the Romero Centre at Dutton Park is appealing for volunteers to help normalise life for asylum seekers at Brisbane's two detention centres. These men, women and children - 45 at the Brisbane Immigration Transit Accommodation at Pinkenba and more than 100 in a wing of the Virginia Palms Motel, Boondall - need support in such areas as the learning of English and familiarisation with Australian culture. Essentially it is about spending some time with them which will help them integrate more effectively into our community and at the same time providing a valuable way for the community to be better informed on the asylum seekers' stressful situation. As the article stated "It's a simple thing to do - just to spend time with these people and it gives them new hope”
More volunteers are needed immediately and a training session will be held on Thursday May 5, 6pm- 8pm at the Romero Centre – for more details contact Kerrie Manning (Volunteer Coordinator) on 3846 3250 or email volunteer@romerocentre.org.au
In addition the Romero Centre hopes to start a program soon where volunteers take approved asylum seekers on excursions in the region and more volunteers will be needed once this is approved. If you would like to be informed about this program please contact Mike on 3851 1641 or email lagniapp@bigpond.net.au
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St William’s School Activity Club
A small group of volunteers provide support to some of our more disadvantaged children simply by offering companionship to help them face their daily challenges. The club meets one afternoon each week during term time with each volunteer working with 1 to 3 students on a mixture of learning and play – assisting with homework & reading, playing games, solving puzzles, simple crafts and so on – with the emphasis being on engaging and conversing with the students. All in all, a great opportunity to share time and life experiences with one another and one that the children thoroughly enjoy.
Timor Leste Companions
The TLC group has grown in strength & is now operating separately with support from the SJ group as required. The main focus for the TLC has been fund-raising with the very successful Super Raffle so that we can move towards some meaningful projects for our sister parish in Liquica.
Date Claimers Social Justice Sunday 25 Sept 2011
This year the theme of the Australian Bishops’ Social Justice Sunday Statement is Prisons and the justice system. Too often we see the justice system falling most harshly on the most vulnerable – Indigenous people, young people, and those suffering mental illness. The purpose of prison is not only to punish wrongdoers but to rehabilitate them and equip them for life in society. Are our prisons fulfilling that role?
Social Justice Sunday Briefing Meeting
We celebrate Social Justice Sunday on 25 September. This year’s Social Justice Statement is titled: ‘Building Bridges, not Walls: Prisons and the justice system’.
The Statement asks Catholics to think about conditions in our prisons, who is sentenced to prison and why. Rates of imprisonment in Australia have risen sharply although levels of crime have remained steady. The most disadvantaged in Australia are the most likely to be imprisoned.
Jesus Christ never neglected outcasts and criminals – he sought them out to bring them his message of salvation and redemption. Inspired by the message and ministry of Jesus, the bishops present us with five challenges: to confront fear campaigns about law and order; to address the social factors that contribute to crime; to maintain the dignity of prisoners; to help prisoners after release; and to seek practical alternatives to imprisonment.
All parishioners are invited to come along to the Daley Centre on Wednesday 31 August at 7.15pm when Peter Arndt from the Brisbane Archdiocese CJPC will give us a briefing on the statement and discuss what we can do to respond to the challenge.
For further details about the Social Justice Statement, visit the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council website (www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au) or call (02) 8306 3499
Feedback, comments, questions
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Contact
For further information or to become involved, please email
the St WIlliam's Parish
Office.
Past Activities
People with Disabilities
Climate Change
Indigenous - National Sorry Day
Homelessness & Affordable Housing
Caritas Be More Weekend
Fair Trade Fortnight
David Hicks
Death Penalty Abolition Campaign
Social Justice Sunday
Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Actions the group has undertaken previously include:
Refugee Week – Sunday 19-26 June
The aims of Refugee Week are:
-To educate the Australian public about who refugees are and why they have come to Australia
-To help people understand the many challenges refugees face coming to Australia
-To celebrate the contribution refugees make to our community
-To focus on how the community can provide a safe and welcoming environment for refugees
-For community groups and individual to do something positive for refugees, asylum seekers and displaced people, within Australia but also around the world
-For service providers to reflect on whether they are providing the best possible services to refugees.
People with Disabilities: Inclusivity policy was developed and submitted to Parish Council for implementation
Climate Change: Raising awareness via “Walk to Mass Sundays” to encourage parishioners to use alternative transport (not cars!) and reduce our impact on the environment followed up with ACF presentation on Climate Change at the Daley Centre.
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Indigenous: Support for National Sorry Day in May at Teralba Park.
National Sorry Day – Thursday 26 May
Each year on 26th May the Teralba Park Commemorative Site Support Group holds a dawn ceremony to mark National Sorry Day. The ceremony starts at 7am and is followed by breakfast. The Teralba Park Commemorative Plaque site is one of 6 in Brisbane established by Brisbane City Council 12 years ago in response to The Bringing Them Home Report. The plaques acknowledge the location of former children's homes, where children were housed after being taken from their families as part of the removal and separation policies. Teralba Park is at the corner of Osborne & Pullen Rds, Everton Park.
Following on from National Sorry Day is National Reconciliation week, 27 May - 3 June. It is an opportunity for Australians to celebrate efforts to reconcile Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and to look forward to what still needs to be done. The theme this year is Let’s Talk Recognition. You can find out more and download fact sheets and activities at http://www.reconciliation.org.au/
Queensland Churches Together Indigenous Peoples Partnership will hold a ecumenical service to mark the Week on Wednesday 1 June at 6.30 p.m. in the Cathedral of St Stephen, Elizabeth Street, Brisbane. All are welcome
Homelessness & Affordable Housing: Published a discussion paper examining the social justice concerns of the Mitchelton Housing Development at Blackwood Street.
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Caritas Be More Weekend. In August 2010 Caritas be more weekend highlighted the importance of water conservation and the disparity in water consumption between rich & poor nations. Water is essential to all life, yet almost 884 million people today have no access to clean drinking water. Our water resources are being depleted and degraded as a consequence of our agricultural and industrial use of water, deforestation and climate change, over consumption, waste and pollution. Those who suffer most from this situation are the vulnerable: the children, the elderly, the sick and the poor. For more information go to http://www.bemore.org.au/Home/Be-More
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Fair Trade Fortnight. Fair Trade Fortnight in May 2010 was promoted when we served coffee from Timor Leste and raised some funds for our TLC group. Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices, Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. So, by supporting Fairtrade, we support the people who deserve to benefit - for more information visit http://www.qldfairtrade.org.au/
Death Penalty Abolition Campaign. In support of the campaign by Brisbane’s Catholic Justice and Peace Commission, we encouraged parishioners to sign a petition to the Australian Senate asking it to take action to promote the abolition of the death penalty in all cases everywhere and to save the lives of Australians (including Scott Rush) and people of other nationalities facing execution in countries such as Indonesia. To quote Archbishop John Bathersby "Capital punishment is an affront, even in the case of terrorists. No evil can justify the death penalty as a punishment, no matter how horrible the crime that may have been committed.”
David Hicks: Written to Members of Parliament to pressure for the fair treatment of David Hicks while at Guantanamo Bay.
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Social Justice Sunday: Promoted to the parish the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Social Justice Statement each September in:
- 2010 - Violence in Australia: A Message of Peace;
- 2009 - And You Will Be My Witnesses: Young People and Justice
- 2008 - A Rich Young Nation: The challenge of affluence and poverty in Australia.
- 2007 - Who Is My Neighbour? Australia’s role as a global citizen
RESOURCES
Relevant articles, books, DVDs are available in a dedicated space in the Parish library. Additionally the following links are of interest:
Climate Justice & Action Links
http://www.pineriverscan.org A local climate action group, based in Samford – be involved!
http://www.thebigswitch.org.au You can sign up to the Big Switch to stay informed about climate change action.
http://www.oxfam.org.au/campaigns/climate-change/impacts/ Information on where climate change is having the greatest impact, particularly in poorer communities. There are lots of useful tools and ideas included.
http://www.acfonline.org.au/greenhome For more facts and ideas about climate change action around the home.
http://www.theweathermakers.org For insight, ideas, links and resources based on Tim Flannery’s book The Weather Makers
http://wwf.org.au/ourwork/climatechange Extensive information and resources from WWF Australia.
http://www.carbontradewatch.org The Carbon Trade Watch monitoring carbon trade practice.
For more facts and ideas about climate change action around the home.
http://www.theweathermakers.org For insight, ideas, links and resources based on Tim Flannery’s book The Weather Makers
http://wwf.org.au/ourwork/climatechange Extensive information and resources from WWF Australia.
http://www.carbontradewatch.org The Carbon Trade Watch monitoring carbon trade practice.
http://www.foe.org.au/climate-justice Friends of the Earth for news, campaigns and resources on climate justice.
https://climatefriendly.com Choice magazine’s best rated carbon offset provider
http://www.climatecrisis.net All the information on Al Gore’s ‘An Inconvenient Truth’
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Church in action
http://www.catholicearthcare.org.au/index.html Catholic Earthcare Australia provides resources and reflections.
http://www.catholicsandclimatechange.org The (US-based) Catholic Coalition on Climate Change website provides insight into Church teaching in relation to climate change, focusing on the principles of prudence, poverty and the common good.
http://conservation.catholic.org/ The US Catholic Conservation Center promotes ecology, environmental justice and the stewardship of Creation with the website featuring writings from various Catholic sources.
http://www.cafod.org.uk/opinion/climate From the UK’s Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, find out how climate change is taking effect in places around the world.
http://www.mjuniting.org.au/greenchurch Maroubra Junction Uniting Church has developed Project Green Church. Find out more.
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Government online resources
http://www.climatechangeinaustralia.gov.au/ To better understand how our climate is changing in Australia and what is predicted into the future for all parts of the country. A clear and visual overview.
http://www.climatechange.gov.au/resources/community.html Contains lots of practical ideas for households and communities to become more energy efficient and sustainable.
http://www.climatechange.gov.au/greenpaper/report/index.html The Federal Government’s Green Paper on the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, for those with time to read it!
http://www.climatesmart.qld.gov.au/get_involved/low_carbon_diet The Low Carbon Diet is an American program being adapted for use in Queensland to help communities educate people ways to minimise carbon emissions.
http://www.climatesmart.qld.gov.au/your_home/climatesmart_home The newly launched ClimateSmart Home Service will start in January 2009. You can sign up to register your interest now.
http://www.garnautreport.org.au/ The report examining ‘the impacts, challenges and opportunities of climate change for Australia’.
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Transport
http://www.thecarpool.com.au/site/index.cfm A way of getting in contact with other people in the local area to carpool
http://www.transport.qld.gov.au/Home/General_information/Travelsmart/ For information about the TravelSmart initiative in Queensland, including information about environmental and health benefits of walking and cycling.
http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/transport/fuelguide/tips.html For tips on how to drive more efficiently.
http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/gwci/transport.html For ideas on how to save on your transport carbon emissions.
http://www.acfonline.org.au/greenhome
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