Media Release, 28 August, 2013

Christopher Saunders, the Bishop of Broome and Chairman of the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, has called on all eligible voters to remain attentive to issues of justice at the next Federal Election.

“Each voter shares a responsibility to keep alive the critical faculty, to analyse carefully all policies put forward by the various political parties and individual candidates, and to judge carefully the moral worth of all proposals, before casting a ballot in the September 7th election.

“On some important issues,” the Bishop said, “too many politicians have scrambled to occupy what can only be described as the lowest moral baseline.

“Asylum seekers and refugees have been treated badly, socially debased by the ambitions of political expediency.

“Indigenous Australians continue to be disempowered and the once favoured principle of ‘Self Determination’ has been overpowered by an unhelpful emphasis on a service delivery model. This bureaucratic model denies the importance of development as an urgently needed response to the oppressive disadvantage suffered by too many of Australia’s First Peoples.

“The Christian citizen will judge carefully and wisely, before exercising the responsibility of voting,” he said. “There is a marvellous opportunity here to vote for social justice in our land.”

The ACSJC document ‘A Vote for Social Justice’ can be accessed at: www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au

For further information:
Bishop Christopher Saunders
Chairman, ACSJC,Tel: 0418 260 155

John Ferguson
National Executive Officer, ACSJC, Tel: 02 8306 3499