This is a full transcript of the YouTube launch of the February 2026 Social Justice Statement, The Cost of our Living: Economic and Social Justice for the Common Good. The YouTube video was shot in Canberra on February 9, 2026.
Jerry Nockles (CEO of Catholic Social Services Australia):
Good morning. My name is Jerry Nockles, and I’m the Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Social Services Australia. Thank you for joining us for this livestream from the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference on Ngunnawal land here in Canberra. And can I please extend that acknowledgement to the First Nations people of the country that you may be joining us from today. I’d also like to acknowledge Bishop Tim Harris from Townsville, and importantly, the chair of the Bishops Commission for Social Justice, Mission and Service. Today, we are very pleased to be launching the first of two social justice statements for 2026 from the Bishops Conference.
These statements will be available online, and you can go to catholic.au
And there’ll be a link at the end of this program. There’s also an audio version available on Spotify. You simply have to search for ACBC Audio Reads.
Now, can I ask at the outset, and indeed invite you to not only engage with the promotion of the social justice statement, but also to consider the actions that you might be able to take in your diocese, in the parishes and in other church agencies. As I said, I’m joined by Bishop Tim Harris. Bishop Tim, thank you very much. Can I start by asking you, what is the social justice statement and why does it matter right now?
Bishop Tim Harris:
Jerry, delighted once again to be to be with you. As Jerry mentioned this is the first of two social justice statements from Australia’s Catholic bishops. And we decided to, bishops that is, to issue two shorter statements from the one longer one to two shorter ones. So, another one will come in August.
This one, of course, as has been mentioned already, is called The Cost of our Living: Economic and Social Justice for the Common Good.
And what we can say is that … these statements invite all of us, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, to reflect on the challenges facing Australians today and to consider how we can from our hearts, essentially, how we can respond with justice and compassion and love to those in need within our country.
So, the first statement really is a call to action for all of us to get involved, for us to play our part with the common good always very much in our minds as a response to the cost-of-living crisis.
The statement shines a light, very powerfully, I think, into the lived reality of poverty and despair of so many Australians. It reminds us that people struggling, struggling every single day to simply feed their families and pay their rent, to find a safe place in which to live.
So, we need to be reminded today – and the statement certainly does that – that we are in this with each other, that we are brothers and sisters in Christ to each other, and with that particular focus, we remain committed to each other, and we, I guess, say to each other, you matter. We are part of you, and you matter, and we want to walk with you and accompany you and assist you in any way we can.
Jerry Nockles:
Thanks very much, Bishop Tim. Very, very well said. Catholic Social Services Australia is very proud to sought to support the bishops’ conference in launching this statement and in promoting it to as widely millions as we can.
At its heart, the statement draws on the principles of Catholic social teaching, and we share that vision for a just society, a society where the dignity of every person is recognised and where the vulnerable are cared for. As the statement says, these principles aren’t abstract, they’re practical, they’re relevant, and they speak to how we are connected to the gospel today.
Now, Bishop Tim, as you know the cost-of-living crisis continues to have a profound impact on the dignity and the well-being of Australians. And, sadly and cruelly, it impacts Australia’s most vulnerable the harshest. We spoke about food insecurity. The statement makes it clear that one in three Australians in 2025 reported food insecurity now that means skipping meals. It means accessing emergency food relief. The statement calls all of us, and each of us to walk in solidarity with those who are struggling and to support the Catholic social services who are on the front line every single day – social services who are providing practical care, advocacy and that critical word, Bishop Tim, hope. These are challenging times, Bishop Tim, they really are. But what are your hopes for the outcomes from this statement?
Bishop Tim Harris:
Well, I see the statement very much a statement that belongs to the Australian people, and it calls on all of us to become prophets of hope and to give those suffering that sense that somebody cares and the church gets it. Hence a statement like this that speaks specifically and speaks into the reality of so many people. And as you mentioned, it also very powerfully, I think, highlights the work of the Catholic social service organisations that provide day after day, financial counselling, emergency relief, housing support and care to more than 700,000 people across Australia each year – an extraordinary number of people. As I said to you previously, this country that we call lucky, the lucky country, that we would have 700,000 people seeking support of one kind or another. Now we can’t ignore that, and I guess this contribution today highlights a responsibility that we all have to that particular reality, so it offers practical ways to respond, through donating of money and goods, volunteering time, engaging in advocacy and supporting policies that protect people from housing stress and rising costs.
There’s also calls on those in positions of power, importantly, to ensure that the people are paid fair wages, that there are economic policies in place that that give people the human dignity that they deserved.
I mean, you talk about being created in God’s image and likeness, we need to be very clear about our responsibilities to one another. No one can be discarded. In other words, in our Catholic social teaching, our position on these matters is very clear. Every single person matters.
Jerry Nockles:
They do indeed, Bishop Tim, and I think that’s the beauty of the statement. It calls on Australian Catholics to work for a society where everyone can flourish, because we are lovingly made in that image and likeness of God.
The statement also coincides with a significant anniversary for Catholic Social Services Australia. This year, it marks our 70th anniversary of conducting advocacy for social justice in Australia and providing care to Australia’s most vulnerable. The statement speaks to that legacy, but it also speaks to our shared future, doesn’t it?
Bishop Tim Harris:
Let me say on behalf of the bishops, Jerry, thank you for the work that you do as CEO of CSSA. The work of CSSA has been going on, as you just mentioned, for 70 years. So, I really do on behalf of Australia’s Catholic bishops thank you and CSSA for the work that is being done.
On behalf of all the bishops, I simply today want to encourage everybody to read this statement, to reflect on the statement, and most importantly, to take action in your communities, in your workplaces, in your daily lives, and together, we can respond to this moment with justice, compassion and hope.
And I do want to, if I could finish with some words of Archbishop Tim Costelloe, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference president, and he said this:
“In a world that often feels fractured and anxious, we’re called to be signs of God’s love – a people who bring light into places of darkness and hope into situations of despair.”
So, he says, “I invite you to read, reflect and allow this first statement to stir your heart. May it inspire us to see with the eyes of Christ, to act with courage and tenderness and to work together for a future marked by justice, compassion and peace.”
Jerry Nockles:
Thank you, Bishop Tim, and thank you for sharing those beautiful words from Archbishop Costelloe. And thank you to everyone who has joined us this morning for the launch of this statement, The Cost of our Living: Economic and Social Justice for the Common Good. Thank you for your interest. We do ask you that you engage in promotion of the statement and consider the actions vary. It’s an important statement. It’s a timely statement.
Thank you all very, very much, and may God be with You.
ENDS
(Transcript produced by Paul Osborne, Australian Catholic Bishops Conference)