Media Releases 2006 (17)
From the National Council of Churches in Australia
The National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) is often contacted before Christmas by media looking for a religious comment on this high festival.
This year we have gathered together Christmas messages from 7 of Australia’s heads of Churches, and an ecumenical message from the NCCA.
We hope these messages are helpful to the media, and the Australian public, as Christians in Australia and around the world celebrate the birth of Christ.*
Ms Debra Porter
NCCA Communications Officer
(* NB. In the Western Church, Christmas is celebrated on December 25. Most Orthodox Churches will celebrate Christmas on January 7, 2007.)
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Anglican Church of Australia
My prayer for us all this Christmas is that we should know God’s peace.
In 2006 Australians have worked hard to bring peace. Our troops have been deployed in such places as Iraq, Afghanistan, the Solomons, and East Timor, trying to broker peace and then to keep it. We have wept over efforts to find peace in the Middle East. Locally, the Cronulla riots marked a breach of a peace that we in this country can no longer take for granted.
Ironically, many of our images of peace tend to involve guns and tanks and explosions. When we send in ‘peace-keepers’, we equip them with weapons and train them to deal with violence.
God’s Prince of Peace came to us as a new-born baby.
God’s response to violence and to fear is love. It is always love. Celebrating Christmas helps us to remember God’s love.
This Christmas let us allow the story of the baby, of cattle lowing, of worshipping shepherds and magi bearing gifts to remind us to greet our neighbour, to smile at those we meet, to give generously and to receive graciously. Let us all be makers of peace through ordinary, everyday acts of loving kindness.
May the love of God and the gift of God’s son bring peace to your hearts and lives this Christmas.
The Most Revd Dr Phillip Aspinall
Primate, Anglican Church of Australia
Churches of Christ in Australia
The Christmas story has survived the process of time because it is more than a story. Christmas reminds us that God in Christ intervened in the lives of humankind to announce his gift of eternal love to all who would receive it. At a time when the world is preoccupied in all types of conflicts and threatened by natural and human crises we need the Christmas story to remind us there is hope and in this hope there is peace and love.
Mr Richard Menteith
National President, Churches of Christ in Australia
Coptic Orthodox Church, Diocese of Sydney & Affiliated Regions
The Gifts of Christmas
For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11)
The birth of our Lord Jesus Christ over 2000 years ago brought 3 great gifts to humanity:
Light
He shone upon us who were sitting in darkness. By His light we came to know light. He is the light of the world with His unique example, Holy teachings, and life-giving guidance. Man knew the path of light, and became light. Man’s mind was enlightened, as well as his heart, through his continuous living with the Good Saviour and Beloved Teacher. The Lord left us a living example and a Bible: the example to follow, and the Bible to learn from and be enlightened by its word.
Has not the Lord said to us when He came to our earthly world: “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12). “The light has come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does what is truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” (John 3:19-21).
Salvation
He is the “Saviour of the World” of the New Testament. Pharaoh gave Joseph the same title, for he saved the people from death by physical hunger resulting from the famine. Likewise, Christ saved us from death by spiritual hunger. He is the “Second Adam” by the First Adam we died, while by the Second Adam we live and are saved. Our salvation was not easy, for it cost Him His precious blood and His broken body.
”For there is a Saviour born to you this day.” (Luke 2:11).
By the birth of Christ, the Saviour was born…
Rather salvation was born…
For there is no salvation without incarnation…
And no redemption without incarnation…
And no incarnation without birth…
”Great is the mystery of godliness: He (God) was manifested in the flesh.” (1 Timothy 3:16). There is a link between human godliness and the manifestation of God in human flesh. It is divine incarnation that enabled our loving God to manifest amongst us so that we can say: “We beheld His glory.” (John 1:14). “Which we have looked upon and our hands have handled.” (1 John 1:1).
To die upon the Cross and to redeem us, offering up His humanity, which is united to His divinity, as a sacrifice in place of us. Then He arose from death into life, that by Him we too might be reborn into a new life.
Peace
The Angels proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, good will towards men.” (Luke 2:14). Christ became man to reconcile us to God the Father and bring peace to a broken and disturbed world. Christ is our peace for He said, “My peace I give. My peace I leave with you.” (John 14:27).
May the Lord Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem, bless our beloved country Australia, its people and Government.
His Grace Bishop Daniel
Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of NSW, QLD & NT
Lutheran Church of Australia
The newborn child bound in swaddling clothes at birth is unbound as a man in his resurrection. The Christmas birth of Christ is not just a matter of life before death, but finally of death before life.
The celebration of the birth of a special child, the event we call Christmas includes the wood of the manger being exchanged for the wood of the crucifixion cross; not much more than thirty years later.
The celebration is for a Saviour. It is a time of hope and meaning in our lives because of what God has done for us, rather than a focus on what we can do for ourselves or for him.
God enters time and our history and offers us life in the Child we know as Jesus. He has taken care of us so that we can spend time caring for others.
The Revd Michael P Semmler
President, Lutheran Church of Australia
Roman Catholic Church in Australia
The face of a mother or father holding a child in their arms reveals the graciousness of God. Christmas recalls these moments for many in the mystery of the birth of Jesus. It reminds us that these experiences can touch our hearts and fill us with happiness and joy and reveal to us the presence of God in our everyday lives. Christmas is a time when we have the chance to stop and reflect on the gifts that children bring to our world. The busy days that lead to the holidays and the celebrations of the day itself can blind us to what moves and inspires the children around us, and their openness to love and acceptance is a challenge that can be missed. In our heart of hearts we recognise that not to respond with open hearts and greater generosity of spirit towards them is to belittle them and sell ourselves short. Those who follow Christ are called to recognise as he did, as Mary his mother did, the presence of God’s love in the faces of those around us. This is a way of discovering meaning and direction in our lives not as a burden but as a response to the graciousness of God. In the bigger picture, the spirit and meaning of Christmas provides us with the opportunity to reassess individual and communal responses to those around us. It is a time to bring to our families, friends and neighbours a spirit of acceptance, understanding, forgiveness…. or “peace and goodwill to all”.
The Most Revd Philip Wilson
President, Australian Catholic Bishops Conference
Syrian Orthodox Patriarchal Vicarate of Australia and New Zealand
"Some two thousand years ago, a young descendant of King David and her honourable husband travelled from Nazareth to Bethlehem. This trip was, in all likelihood, a difficult one for Mary as she was in the late stages of pregnancy. However, she bore this burden with joy saying that, "My Soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant." It was in her suffering, that she carried the hopes of the World.
So this Christmas, let us remind ourselves of the simplicity and humility into which Jesus was born: at an inn, in a manger and wrapped in swaddling cloth. At the same time, let us recall the majesty with which he was greeted: a multitude of angels harking "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!", the rich gifts presented to him by foreigners from afar and the worship of him by local shepherds.
Christmas should be a reflection on Christ, his birth, his life and his purpose. Let the celebrations, baubles and presents be a reflection of our joy at being reminded of God's love for us: in that he sent his only Son for us.
His Eminence Archbishop Mor Malatius Malki Malki
Archbishop of the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchal Vicarate of Australia and New Zealand
Uniting Church in Australia
The Christmas event speaks to us more than 2000 years later because it is not just a story about divinity. It is a story which is most deeply about what it means to be human – a story of human vulnerability, of hopes, fears and dreams, family and culture, exclusion and acceptance. And because of this, the meaning of Christmas continues to break into our world and challenge us all, but especially Christians, to live lives that reach out in the world without fear or favour.
My hope this year is that Christmas will remind us that so-called ‘Australian values’ are human values and that the birth of Jesus Christ teaches us that they are part of God’s gift to us, for what kind of world would it be without the gifts that lie within us all - compassion, forgiveness, prayerfulness, justice, inclusion, and the celebration of life.
May this Christmas bring you joy and peace, fresh purpose and new life.
The Revd Gregor Henderson
President, Uniting Church in Australia
National Council of Churches in Australia
“Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place,
which the Lord has made known to us.”
The story of Christmas begins with a divine choice, but it happens in the lives of ordinary human beings. A baby is born, and generations have gone on to call him the Son of God. The event demands a response – is this really God with us, or is Jesus just another human martyr?
Many Australians do not like questions of faith, preferring instead a vaguely agnostic world of privatised religion. It makes sense in a sort of post modern way, but we now know that such a world doesn’t exist. Religion is a very public business. We are more aware than ever of its importance, and the centrality of faith to so much of what we do.
The Christmas holiday is popular, but so far the question of faith isn’t. What is our response to this Christian festival and the story on which it is founded? If this child is the Son of God you can’t just walk away from him. He changes everything.
The Christmas event could have happened to any one of us. It does happen to all who believe that in Jesus God came into the world to live a human life to the full. Christian faith, and Christian living, means living out that belief, day by day, week by week, month by month, among real people, in real places, and at real times in our life.
The Revd John Henderson
General Secretary, National Council of Churches in Australia
From the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission
“Yesterday’s decision not to bring charges against the officer allegedly involved in the death of Mulrunji at Palm Island is difficult for fair minded Australians to accept. This is another example of the justice system failing Aborigines,” said Graeme Mundine, Executive Secretary of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission.
“Presumably the Coroner who found the officer was responsible, and the DPP who found he was not, had access to the same evidence. It is difficult to believe that they could draw such different conclusions.”
“These contradictory decisions in no way clarify the culpability of the officer in Mulrunji’s death and raise many more doubts about due process in this case. His family, and the Aboriginal community, is right to feel that they have been failed by the judicial system - there are obviously still many unanswered questions relating to how Mulrunji died. These are questions that should be answered in a court of law.”
“NATSIEC supports the call for an independent inquiry into this case. This level of doubt about the decisions of two senior people in the Queensland judicial system must be examined.”
“NATSIEC rejects the Queensland Police Minister’s assertion that such an inquiry amounts to political interference. It is clear that justice has not prevailed in this case, and that only an independent inquiry can offer the hope of clarity and justice for Mulrunji and his family,” Mr. Mundine concluded.
For further comment: Graeme Mundine 0419 238 788
From APRO [the NCCA is a member of APRO]
The Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils’ of Australia (FECCA) and the Australian Partnership of Religious Organisations (APRO) strongly support actions to build respect between faith communities.
“APRO and FECCA support condemnation of disrespectful actions that hurt any faith community,” said Mr Abd Malak, Convenor of APRO today. “We therefore support the actions of East Preston Islamic School in expelling students for totally unacceptable behaviour and trust that the school will also ensure that students are counselled so that they understand the hurt that they have caused.”
“Mutual respect is important to building and ensuring a cohesive and accepting community,” said Ms Voula Messimeri, FECCA Chair. “Disrespectful actions by individuals from any community must be challenged,” she continued.
“APRO acknowledges the importance of young people learning about each others faiths as a positive way of building respect,” said Mr John Walker, APRO member, and National Secretary of the Baha’i Community. “We hope that this incident provides an opportunity to build this understanding in the future,” concluded Mr Malak and Ms Messimeri.
For media comment: Mr Abd Malak 0417 489 066
Ms Voula Messimeri 0414 532 529
Compassion, Not Incarceration, is a Better Way for Refugees
Written byFrom the National Council of Churches in Australia
Plans for a new government refugee holding facility on Christmas Island were leaked last week, prompting comparisons with the highest security prisons, and even the US facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
“If what we are hearing about the new centre on Christmas Island is true this sounds more like a prison than anything else,” said the Revd John Henderson, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches in Australia. “Why would we treat the innocent in this way? How can we add to their woes, not only locking them up but adding the moral censure of treating them like criminals? Sensible precautions for our security should not include demonising people who need our help. This only adds to our sense of insecurity and leads to hostility and aggression. The social and psychological effects are insidious and ongoing; not only for those who are imprisoned, but also for the society that imprisons them.”
“Our society will be judged by the way we treat those in need. Compassion and fairness are marks of a truly civilised society, upholding values of human dignity and individual worth. To hold people fleeing persecution in such intrusive, high-security conditions is inappropriate and unacceptable,” said Mr Henderson.
“These prison-like Christmas Island plans, together with Temporary Protection Visas, which are designed to promote insecurity and a sense of impermanence, contradict the promised reform spirit of greater individual care. What have become of the 2005 Palmer Inquiry and recent nation-wide Immigration Department community consultations on how to improve services, including community care models, for asylum seekers?”
“We would welcome genuine reassurances from the government that it does not intend to clamp down even harder on those who have already suffered severe harm. In recent times there has been a lot of talk of so-called ‘Christian values’ including by many in government. We would like to see such values reaffirmed in the cause of human rights and treating our neighbour as we would ourselves want to be treated,” Mr Henderson concluded.
For more information:
Mr Alistair Gee, Director, Christian World Service, NCCA 0417 672 650
Church Leaders Promote National Day of Prayer in Time of Drought
Written byReleased on behalf of National Church Leaders in Australia
Heads of Christian Churches meeting in Sydney last week acknowledged and supported the various calls from church groups and other Australians for prayer in this time of severe drought, including a National Day of Prayer on 26 November.
The heads of Churches called for all Australians to pray for:
• desperately needed rain
• those who are severely drought affected, and
• commitment to responsibly care for all our natural resources.
“We invite all Australians to express their solidarity with those who are suffering by taking a few moments to pray or to join a local worship service where prayers will be offered,” said Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, Primate of the Anglican Church.
Archbishop Philip Wilson, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, said, “At a time when our political leaders and climate experts are giving close attention to the economic consequences of this drought, we should remember the many people on farms and in small businesses who are suffering often in a deeply personal way. Local Churches are already providing practical and personal support, and will continue to do their utmost. Our prayer shows that Australians stand together in the face of adversity.”
“We need to seek God’s guidance as to how we can better manage Australia’s water resources at a time when climate change is upon us. This too will be part of the prayers on 26 November,” added the Revd Gregor Henderson, President of the Uniting Church in Australia.
The Church leaders acknowledged the recent statement of Queensland Church leaders: “We are very conscious of the life and death needs that beset so many people around this world every day and we in no way intend that much needed prayer be deflected from these situations. At the same time we recognise that water is an urgent and immediate need affecting so many of us here and now in the most basic ways. So it is with the confidence that Jesus urged upon us that we simply go to God with this need.”
Many resources for prayer are already available from local church groups, and links and resources will also be gathered and posted on the web pages of the National Council of Churches in Australia, at www.ncca.org.au
This statement is made on behalf of the following leaders of Australian Churches:
The Most Revd Dr Phillip Aspinall
Anglican Church
His Eminence Archbishop Paul Saliba
Antiochian Orthodox Church
His Eminence Archbishop Aghan Baliozian
Armenian Apostolic Church
Pastor Brian Houston
Assemblies of God
His Grace Bishop Mar Meelis Zaia
Assyrian Church of the East
The Revd Dr Ross Clifford
Baptist Union
Bishop James Chang Hua Ha
Chinese Methodist Church
Mr Richard Menteith
Churches of Christ
Dr Harry Melkonian
Congregational Federation
His Grace Bishop Daniel
Coptic Orthodox Church
His Grace Bishop Suriel
Coptic Orthodox Church
His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos
Greek Orthodox Church
The Revd Mike Semmler
Lutheran Church
The Rt Revd Bob Thomas
Presbyterian Church
Lyndsay Farrell
Religious Society of Friends
The Most Revd Philip Wilson
Roman Catholic Church
His Beatitude Patriarch Teoctist
Romanian Orthodox Church
Commissioner James Knaggs
The Salvation Army, Southern Territory
Commissioner Les Strong
The Salvation Army, Eastern Territory
Pastor Chester Stanley
Seventh Day Adventist Church
His Eminence Archbishop Mor Malatius Malki Malki
Syrian Orthodox Church
The Revd Gregor Henderson
Uniting Church
Mar Thoma Church
Churches Call For Urgent Re-Commitment To Indigenous Australia
Written byFrom The National Council of Churches in Australia
“It is time for an urgent re-commitment to address the pressing problems faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples”, said Rev. John Henderson, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA), launching the NCCA’s 2006 statement to mark Social Justice Sunday on September 24th.
“The 2006 Social Justice Statement reflects the deep concerns that the member Churches of the NCCA have regarding the continued disadvantage suffered by Indigenous Australians,” Rev. Henderson said.
“While communities and governments have rightly responded to the international ‘Make Poverty History’ campaign based on the Millennium Development Goals, Australians need a similar commitment to Make Indigenous Poverty History.
“To Make Indigenous Poverty History, we believe that what is needed is a fuller and far more effective program of spiritual and material regeneration than currently exists. Indigenous Australia deserves the equivalent of the Millennium Development Goals to provide a real framework of change. At the bedrock must be genuine self-determination and funding commensurate with the size of the problem.
“The media and public attention given to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues frequently expresses itself in terms of a shocked moral distance, baffled incomprehension, or fresh forms of stereotyping. Instead, we believe that all Australians need to remember, to recognize, and to rectify the troubled history of Indigenous Australia. In particular we call on all Australians to:
Remember–so that no one can any longer act with surprise at revelations of Indigenous Poverty, or pretend that we do not know why, or how, such injustice persists.
Recognise, and implement the truth of the proposals for change made by representative Indigenous leaders and by national investigations such as the Royal Commissions into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and the ‘Stolen Generations’ report.
Rectify the poverty and neglect which stand as a constant rebuke to our much vaunted values of fairness.
“The member Churches of the NCCA continue to remember and to confess our past and present failures to listen to and love Indigenous Australians properly. We make this pledge to our Indigenous Christian networks through the country: we commit ourselves to rectify the hurts of the past and present, and call on others to join us in this task,” Rev Henderson concluded.
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The NCCA Social Justice Statement 2006 will be launched at Parliament House, Canberra on 13th September 2006 at 11.00 in 1S3. The NCCA Social Justice Statement is available at www.ncca.org.au
To arrange comment contact: Graeme Mundine 0419 238 788.
From The National Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission
“On Social Justice Sunday we call on all Australians to reflect on the continuing plight of Indigenous Australians and then commit to action,” said Mr Graeme Mundine, Executive Secretary of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Executive Commission (NATSIEC) of the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA).
“Social Justice Sunday, which this year will be celebrated on September 24th, is a time for all Christians to come together and focus their attention on a specific area where injustice prevails.
“This year the member Churches of the National Council of Churches in Australia have chosen to turn their attention to the continuing disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
“In support of the campaign to Make Indigenous Poverty History the NCCA calls on us all to ‘rectify the poverty and neglect which stands as a constant rebuke to our much vaunted values of fairness’”, Mr Mundine said.
“NATSIEC supports this call to action and is, itself, calling on the Federal Government to adapt the Millennium Development Goals to apply specifically to Australia so that like the poverty stricken people on other continents, Indigenous Australians can also hope to be lifted out of poverty by 2015.
“We cannot, in all good conscience, continue to stand by and watch our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples be denied access to the same level of resources, wealth and well being that all other Australian citizens have.
“Too often we think that injustice is something that happens overseas, but we are blind to the every day suffering in our own backyard. Often it is easier to understand the suffering of those in ‘developing’ countries, but the fact that there are people living in worse conditions in a rich and wealthy nation such as Australia is a situation we should all be ashamed of and must commit everything we have to changing.
“I urge you to heed the call this Social Justice Sunday and put Indigenous Australia at the centre of your concerns and take action to Make Indigenous Poverty History,” Mr Mundine concluded.
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Bishop Saibo Mabo, Deputy Chair of NATSIEC will launch the Make Indigenous Poverty History CD-ROM of campaign resources on September 13th at Parliament House 1S3 at 11.00.
The Rev. John Henderson, General Secretary of the NCCA will also launch the NCCA’s Social Justice Statement at this time. The NCCA statement and further details about the Make Indigenous Poverty History campaign is available at www.ncca.org.au/natsiec/miph
To arrange comment: Graeme Mundine 0419 238 788.
From the National Council of Churches in Australia
Australian churches have responded generously to many emergency situations throughout the world in 2006. Alistair Gee, Director of NCCA Christian World Service, urges concerned Australians to also remember the upcoming Christmas Bowl appeal.
“Assistance in emergencies is a crucial part of the Christmas Bowl, but the Christmas Bowl is also committed to many other long-term development projects which are equally significant,” Alistair said.
“While we urge concerned Australians to give generously to emergency appeals, we also encourage them to continue to support our annual Christmas Bowl appeal in the coming months. The Christmas Bowl provides year round assistance to those in greatest need in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the Pacific. The Christmas Bowl also works in Australia with refugees and displaced people as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”
“As the season of peace approaches, we as Christians are motivated to find ways to overcome the greatest emergency of all – extreme poverty.”
The Christmas Bowl has been an annual fixture in parishes of all denominations across Australia for the past 57 years. The Christmas Bowl began in 1949 when the Reverend Frank Byatt of Melbourne placed a bowl on the dinner table on Christmas Day. The bowl was an invitation for people to give the cost of their meal to people who were hungry, thirsty, strangers, poor or sick.
Over the time Frank’s vision has grown, and now the Christmas Bowl funds effective AID programs - Assistance in emergencies, Injustice response and Development and poverty reduction - in 24 countries around the world.
“The Christmas Bowl education resources are a great way for churches to explore coming together as a community, and make a positive difference to the world through prayer, action and gifts. Ple.0ase act for the Christmas Bowl in 2006.”
For Christmas Bowl education resources or to make a contribution to the Christmas Bowl appeal in 2006 contact 1800 025 101 or visit http://www.actforpeace.org.au.
The Christmas Bowl is a program of the NCCA Christian World Service, the aid and development agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia.
For comment, more information, comment or photos contact:
Alistair Gee, Director, NCCA Christian World Service
Telephone: 02 92992215 / 0417 672 650
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Kaylea Fearn
Education and Communications Programs
NCCA Christian World Service
Telephone 03 9650 6811 / 0417 380 507
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Grateful for Withdrawal of Refugee Bill - National Council of Churches
Written byFrom the National Council of Churches in Australia
News that the Prime Minister has withdrawn the Migration Amendment (Designated Unauthorised Arrivals) Bill 2006 has been received with relief by the National Council of Churches in Australia. There is caution, however, that the Bill was not withdrawn on grounds of its injustice, but because it was unable to pass through Federal Parliament by the narrowest of margins.
Nevertheless the General Secretary of the Council, the Revd John Henderson, has written to the Prime Minister thanking him for his decision, and to 15 other federal members of Parliament from various political parties, thanking them for the roles they played in the withdrawal of the Bill.
“70 church leaders signed a statement that was due to be released the same day Mr Howard announced his decision. The statement was an appeal to Senators to defeat the Bill,” said Mr Henderson. “This shows the deep concern of a large number of Christian leaders that this move threatened to further undermine Australia’s compassion for those in genuine need. It would have effectively created an ‘out of sight out of mind’ situation toward people fleeing genuine persecution and at risk of their lives.”
“We are grateful that this piece of legislation will not be enacted, and we have continued to press the Prime Minister to rethink the entire ‘Pacific Solution’. This appeal springs from the insights the Christian gospel provides into our relationship with others, the needs of asylum seekers, and Australia’s international obligations.
For additional information: http://www.actforpeace.org.au
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For more information, contact:
Mr James Thomson, National Advocacy and Education Officer, National Program on Refugees and Displaced People, NCCA Christian World Service – (02) 92992215 or 0402 67 55 44
Mr Alistair Gee, Director, Christian World Service – (02) 92992215 or 0417 672 650
From the National Council of Churches in Australia
“Australia’s Churches have repeatedly stated their strong opposition to the interception, transfer and detention in the Pacific of those fleeing persecution,” said the Revd John Henderson, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches in Australia.
“Far from being rebels, the Senators opposing the amended Bill are expressing deep-felt community concerns over the extension of the Pacific Solution. We hope they hold the line.”
Mr Henderson said the amendments proposed by the Prime Minister on 21 June and rejected by Liberal Senators did not go far enough and offered no guarantees that they would be implemented in Nauru.
“The Government’s amendments do not address church or community concerns and offer few concrete guarantees,” said Mr Henderson.
“Most Australians are also opposed,” said James Thomson, spokesperson for the Council’s Refugee Program. “In May, when the legislation was first proposed, only 16% of Australians believed that our immigration policies should be changed. 70% were against any change. Over 60% of Australians also believe that children should not be in detention.”
“The Government says it is committed to the principle that ‘children should only be detained as a last resort in accordance with the Convention Against Torture and the Convention on the Rights of the Child”, however, the government also admits that “none of these arrangements would prevent host countries from making restrictions on the movement of children,” said Mr Thomson.
“The Bill proposes a 90-day processing time limit, but only ‘where possible’. No mention is made of who will be held accountable for not meeting the deadline. Nor does it specify that detainees will be released after 90 days. In fact, there is no provision to release people from detention even when they are found to be refugees. Rather, it is only when a resettlement country is found that those recognised as refugees will be guaranteed of being released. Australia says it will only offer resettlement as the country of last resort. So far, no other countries have offered resettlement places,” said Mr Thomson.
“The Bill proposes that the Federal Ombudsman be given oversight, but the Minister is under no obligation to act on the Ombudsman’s recommendations. The Minister will be given the power to issue visas, but the Minister cannot be compelled to even look at a case and her decisions will not be reviewable.”
“The Bill states that there will be no financial impact, but it is well known that the Pacific Solution was a costly affair. Military operations to detect, intercept, detain and transfer asylum seekers to the Pacific come at a heavy price, as does establishing offshore detention centres and providing financial aid to Nauru.”
“If the purpose of the Bill is to send refugees to another country where the accountability, transparency and responsibility for these people is weak and unclear, then this is a grave injustice and will have dire consequences for the human rights of those intercepted.”
For more information, please contact:
James Thomson, National Advocacy and Education Officer, National Program on Refugees and Displaced People, NCCA Christian World Service – (02) 92992215 or 0402 67 55 44
John Henderson, General Secretary, NCCA – 0419 224 935
NOTE: The Migration Amendment (Designated Unauthorised Arrivals) Bill 2006 is scheduled to be introduced to Parliament on Tuesday 8 August.
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Australia’s Humanitarian Agencies Call for Permanent Ceasefire in Middle East
Written byAustralia’s leading humanitarian agencies have today called for a permanent ceasefire in the Middle East to allow over three million people unrestricted access to humanitarian relief as a result of the deteriorating situation in Lebanon, Gaza Strip and Israel.
‘We are calling on all sides to immediately allow humanitarian aid agencies unfettered access to hundreds of thousands of men, women and children in desperate need of the basics for life such as food, water, shelter and medical assistance,’ said a spokesperson for the group that includes AngliCORD, AUSTCARE, Australian Lutheran World Service, Baptist World Aid Australia, CARE Australia, Caritas Australia, Churches of Christ, National Council of Churches Australia, Oxfam Australia and World Vision Australia.
The group called for all parties to immediately recognise their obligations in accordance with International Humanitarian Law and to distinguish between civilians and combatants as well as to refrain from attacks that cause disproportionate harm to the civilian population. The current conflict has killed over 600 people in Lebanon, more than 50 in Israel and 150 in Gaza. Around one third of all casualties are children.
In Lebanon, up to 1 million people are reported to have fled their homes. In Israel, tens of thousands of families have also been affected. In the Gaza Strip, the total population of up to 1.3 million Palestinians is faced with major disruptions to the most basic services, including water, power, access to food and health care.
In the affected region, Australian humanitarian agencies are working on the ground and through local partners to provide immediate relief including shelter, food, water and medical services.
Details for humanitarian agencies accepting donations to assist the people affected by the conflict in the Middle East can be found at the website of the Australian Council for International Development – www.acfid.asn.au
AngliCORD Aust Lutheran World Service Baptist World Aid Aust
Greg Thompson Peter Schirmer Les Fussell
Mob: 0438 823 511 Tel: 02 6021 5329 Mob: 0402 112 411
CARE Australia Caritas Australia Churches of Christ
Lynne Minion Tim O’Connor Peter Overton
Mob: 0419 567 777 Mob: 0417 284 831 Mob: 0418 980 065
NCCA Christian World Service Oxfam Australia
Alistair Gee Ian Woolverton
Mob: 0417 672 650 Mob: 0409 181 454
World Vision Australia AUSTCARE
Michelle Rice Shelby Burns
Mob: 0402 503 227 Tel: 02 95659106
Australian Church Aid Agencies Provide Humanitarian Assistance in the Middle East
Written byJoint Media Release from
NCCA Christian World Service, Caritas Australia, Uniting Church Overseas Aid and AngliCORD
Australian Church Aid Agencies Provide Humanitarian Assistance in the Middle East
International aid and development agencies of Australian churches are working together to assist the civilians caught up in the Middle East conflict. AngliCORD, Caritas Australia, NCCA Christian World Service and Uniting Church Overseas Aid are working through ACT International, Caritas Internationalis and partners on the ground to provide food, water and medical supplies in Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank.
The church agencies have made an urgent call for additional funds to support this work.
To make a tax deductible contribution or for further details:
AngliCORD 1800 249 880 www.anglicord.org.au
Caritas Australia 1800 024 413 www.caritas.org.au
NCCA Christian World Service 1800 025 101 http://www.actforpeace.org.au
Uniting Church Overseas Aid 1800 998 122 www.overseasaid.org
BACKGROUND
The worsening humanitarian crisis is a result of numerous attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure by Hezbollah, the Israeli Defence Force and Palestinian militants. In many instances these attacks constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law.
The humanitarian situation is most critical in Gaza after attacks destroyed Gaza’s only electricity station and other infrastructure. The UN describes the situation in Gaza as the worst that the area has seen in recent decades. Our partners on the ground testify to the growing humanitarian crisis.
The agencies are hopeful of a ceasefire resulting from negotiations with the UN delegation and support the UN Stabilisation Force proposed by the UN Secretary General. In the meantime, the governments involved must do more to end serious violations of humanitarian law. Six church agencies have, therefore, written open letters today to the Israeli, Palestinian and Lebanese Ambassadors in Australia asking that their governments honour their obligations under international humanitarian law and UN Security Council Resolutions and work towards an end to hostilities.
For media comment:
Alistair Gee (Director, NCCA Christian World Service): 0417 672 650
Greg Thompson (CEO, AngliCORD): 0438 826 511
Copies of the letters to the Ambassadors are available online (click here) or by request.
From the National Council of Churches in Australia
The Right Reverend Richard Appleby, recently retired Assistant Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane, was last week elected President of the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA). Bishop Appleby is the 5th President of the Council, following on from the Revd Professor James Haire of Canberra. The purpose of the Council is to promote Christian unity and help the Churches work together on key issues of theology, peace, and justice.
The national Executive of the Council unanimously elected Bishop Appleby in Sydney on Friday. Bishop Appleby is a long time supporter of the ecumenical movement, and was instrumental in the formation of the NCCA in 1994, playing an important part in the negotiations that led to the membership of the Catholic Church. He has had an extensive ministry in the Anglican Church of Australia having served as an Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Newcastle (1983-1992) and as Bishop of the Northern Territory (1992-1999). He is married to Elizabeth and they have two adult children.
Elected as the President for a three year term, Bishop Appleby will work with member and observer Churches, chair the meetings of the Council, and represent it in a number of public settings.
Currently the Council has a total membership of 15 national Churches, including the Anglican, Catholic and Uniting Churches, 7 Eastern and Oriental Churches, and a range of Protestant Churches, the Salvation Army, and the Quakers.
Photo available on request.
Contact: Debra Porter, NCCA Communications Officer, (02) 9299 2215
Church Heads Urge Government to Revise Extended Pacific Solution for Refugees
Written byFrom the National Council of Churches in Australia
Leaders of 7 Australian Churches have collectively written to the Prime Minister John Howard, expressing their opposition to the changes proposed to Australia’s processing of asylum seekers. The changes mean Australia will send asylum seekers who arrive here to Nauru until their claims are processed.
The National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) has consistently opposed the ‘Pacific Solution’ system of off-shore processing centres since its introduction in 2001. “If this new Bill passes into legislation, it will effectively mean that Australia will cease to be a place of refuge for those directly fleeing from violence and persecution,” said Revd John Henderson, General Secretary of the NCCA. “If other countries behaved like this, the world would become a much more dangerous place for everyone, especially those being persecuted. There would simply be nowhere to go when you are in fear of your life. We can and should do better than that.”
“The regime of detention forced upon people by the Pacific Solution has already been shown to cause unnecessary trauma through prolonged and isolated detention. All it really achieves is removing them from the consciousness of ordinary Australians who would want to see those suffering people being given a fair go,” said Mr Henderson.
In their letter the leaders of 7 Australian Churches have urged the Prime Minister to reconsider the legislation, and have asked the Government to act compassionately towards people arriving here in genuine need of help and protection.
For more information contact:
Mr Alistair Gee, Director of NCCA Christian World Service (02) 9299 2215
