Category Archives: ACBC agency news

Redress for abuse victims will stay in the bottom drawer this election

With less than four weeks until polling day the heavy slumber of the electorate is showing signs of lifting.

Opinion polls continue to signal a close result. Nothing new there really. The polls always tighten as election dates close in.

Hip pocket issues begin to surface and politicians expend enormous emotional energy attempting to convince us that they are engaged, down to earth and responsive. Again, nothing new there.

And that’s the point. Disengagement is the problem. People stop listening because they are not listened to. The current craft of narrative manipulation that besets political strategists has become self-defeating. Continue reading →

Setting the Record Straight on School Funding

A report from the Centre for Policy Development released today contains analysis of the Australian education system. National Catholic Education Commission executive director Ross Fox says the report contains flawed analysis and unsubstantiated claims.

Projections on school funding

The report’s authors claim that by 2020, Catholic schools will be receiving higher levels of funding from government sources than government schools. The methodology used to create those so-called projections is seriously flawed and not credible, Mr Fox said.

“The funding projections have been done using historical funding data, a ruler and a pencil,” Mr Fox said.

“When looking at future trends in school funding, it makes no sense to assume that future trends will be identical to past trends. The ‘projections’ in the report ignore the major changes to Commonwealth funding of schools that arose out of the Gonski Review of Funding for Schooling and began in 2014. These arrangements have bipartisan support until 2017.” Continue reading →

Detention and the Human Person

Refugee men and fence. Refugee concept

I would like to begin by expressing my sincere condolences to the friends and family of Omid Masoumali, in particular his wife, after his tragic death on Friday 29 April, writes Fr Maurizio Pettenà, Director of the Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office.

It is of particular concern that, only days later a second person, a young Somali woman by the name of Hodan Yasin, set herself alight on Monday 2 May after being returned from Australia to Nauru. She is now in a critical condition in a Brisbane Hospital.

This is the second occurrence of self-immolation in as many days. We have been exposed to the extreme end to which the hopelessness of detention can lead to. It is becoming more and more clear that the mental health of those left in limbo as a result of ongoing detention and a lack of resolution as to their immigration status is deteriorating at an alarming rate.

It is my concern that the dignity of the human person is increasingly lowered among the priorities when discussing policy around refugees and asylum seekers. At a time where mental health is more and more at the forefront of the psyche of our communities, it is alarming that people placed in the ‘care’ of Australia in places of detention are left to spiral into hopelessness. Continue reading →

50th World Communications Day opportunity for parishes to speak out

ACBA_Mercy Banner 200 x 200 px
The ACBC World Communications Day initiative to gather ‘grassroots’ stories of compassion and mercy from around Australia is an opportunity for ordinary Catholics and child abuse survivors to speak directly to the Church leadership.

As part of the 50th World Communications Day, the Australian Catholic Media Council is inviting each diocese to share local stories about ‘Communication and Mercy’.

The CEO of the Catholic Church’s Truth Justice and Healing Council, Mr Francis Sullivan, said the initiative could be of huge benefit to the church leadership as it hears directly from the people in the pews about their reactions to the Royal Commission and what they have seen and heard about the way the church leadership is responding.

‘One of the big challenges for us now is to find the language and the way in which we can communicate the very significant changes that have taken place within the Church over the past years to protect children and help survivors. Continue reading →

Aid cuts signal shift to an insular Australia

Caritas Australia (CA) has expressed deep disappointment in this year’s federal budget, specifically the decision to cut even deeper into an already diminished Australian official aid program. 

The cut of an additional $224m is the third successive cut by this government and has reduced Australia to its least generous role among OECD countries in 40 years.

Caritas Australia CEO, Paul O’Callaghan said that Australia has had a prominent and bipartisan record of strong support for economic improvement and poverty alleviation, both in our immediate region and beyond.

“Together with Australia’s outstanding contribution through peace-keeping missions, this aid and development role over many decades led to Australia being regarded as a significant leader and middle power,” Mr O’Callaghan said. Continue reading →

PROCLAIM 2016 Early bird registrations now open!

Proclaim 2016 logo

With 120 days to go, Registrations for PROCLAIM 2016 have now opened with great Early Bird rates available.

This exciting conference on the New Evangelisation is expected to draw more than 500 participants from across Australia to discuss, exchange and learn fresh ways in which parishes can become evangelising communities of the twenty-first century.

Running across three days from 1-3 September 2016, PROCLAIM 2016 draws upon the inspiration of this Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy and the ongoing missionary challenge of Pope Francis in Evangelii Gaudium.

Participants will gain invaluable support, ideas and pastoral initiatives for their parish communities from keynote speakers Cardinal Donald Wuerl of the Archdiocese of Washington, Bishop Nicholas Hudson of the Archdiocese of Westminster; Dr Susan Timoney * (Washington) and Mr Daniel Ang Director, Office for Evangelisation, Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay. Continue reading →

Making dreams come true

Hero picture at past World Youth DayTwelve lucky young pilgrims from across the country have been awarded sponsorship to attend World Youth Day in Poland from 25 – 31 July this year.

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC), Office for Youth and the World Youth Day (WYD) Committee today announced twelve recipients of the ‘Pilgrim Support Program’.

The Pilgrim Support Program aims to support young people who may never ordinarily have had the opportunity to travel to World Youth Day. The program is funded by the ACBC, Catholic Church Insurance and Cosmos, the official tour operator for the Australian pilgrimage to WYD.

Pilgrims were nominated by their Bishops and Youth Ministry leaders. The selection criteria for the program included two key elements; providing opportunities for personal and spiritual development and identifying emerging youth ministry leaders. Continue reading →

Australian Catholic Superannuation supports young dancer

Kim Wilcke & Elyse Lenehan The Australian Catholic Superannuation and Retirement Fund awarded Elyse Lenehan, a dance student from Canberra, with a YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) Enrichment Grant on Tuesday 28 April at the annual Round the World Breakfast event.

Elyse is a young dancer of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who is currently studying dance at NAISDA – National Aboriginal and Islander Dance Academy in Gosford.

The award was presented at the YWCA Canberra’s Round the World Breakfast event to celebrate World YWCA Day.

World YWCA Day is recognised every year across 120 countries. The Round the World Breakfast event provides an opportunity for YWCAs to come together to honour the contributions of women leaders in their communities. Continue reading →

Catholic Education welcomes school funding commitment

School children in a classroomThe National Catholic Education Commission has welcomed the Coalition Government’s announcement of $1.2 billion in additional funding to support all Australian schools, saying it has placed school education at the centre of this year’s federal election campaign.

“Schools are important institutions in the community and well-directed investment in schools will determine the future of Australia as a society and an economy,” NCEC executive director Ross Fox said.

“Catholic education is pleased that the Government has today committed to future funding that reflects real costs for schools.”

In its announcement, the Coalition said per-student school funding from 2018 will increase at 3.56 per cent each year, which it says is in line with recent increases in school costs. Over the past two years, the NCEC has led calls for needs-based funding for all schools, with funding that keeps pace with school costs. Continue reading →