WA church leaders gathered yesterday for an ecumenical Anti-Poverty Week service to consider what drives and sustains poverty in Australia.
Susy Thomas, Moderator of the Uniting Church WA, took the opportunity to call on the WA Government to consider the needs of those who are doing it tough rather than hoarding its surplus.
Budgets reveal what we consider most important, our ideologies for achieving progress, and the value with which we hold people in different circumstances. Geoff Bice, Social Justice Consultant for the Uniting Church WA, shares his reflections on the 2020 Federal Budget.
The Uniting Church WA calls on the State and Federal Governments to prioritise investment in renewable energy and social housing in WA.
The decision was made at the 44th Annual Meeting of the Synod of WA where more than 150 Uniting Church members from around Western Australia came together to discuss issues of importance in the life of the Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Western Australia, and the wider community this weekend, Friday 11 to Sunday 13 September.
The Uniting Church WA calls on the State and Federal Governments to fund and support Aboriginal organisations to reduce the number of Aboriginal children in Government care. The Uniting Church WA also called for the age of criminal responsibility to be raised from 10 to 14 years in Western Australia.
The calls were made at the 44th Annual Meeting of the Synod of WA where more than 150 Uniting Church members from around Western Australia came together to discuss issues of importance in the life of the Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Western Australia, and the wider community this weekend, Friday 11 to Sunday 13 September.
When George Floyd died at the hands of police in the United States, Americans took to the streets and sparked global outrage. In Western Australia, thousands of people have supported the Black Lives Matter movement – online and via protests – even amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic. While Scott Morrison claimed this was an American issue not relevant back home, Australia disagreed and called out the more than 400 Indigenous Australians who have died in custody since the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
Most people can’t imagine what it would be like to sleep rough on the streets, but this is the reality for hundreds of people in Perth each and every night.
Uniting WA is inviting people to experience the discomfort of homelessness for just one night.
Held from 1 to 9 August, the Uniting Virtual Sleepover allows people the experience virtual homelessness from home. It’s a chance to connect with friends, work colleagues and the community to feel what it’s like to sleep rough for a single night.
The Heads of Churches WA, including Uniting Church WA Moderator Rev Steve Francis, have written to Hon Simone McGurk MLA thanking the Government for their commitments to reduce homelessness, and requesting more measures.
Amanda Hunt, CEO of Uniting WA, shares her hopes for a socially inclusive post-COVID world.
During Refugee Week 2020, the Uniting Church Western Australia is calling on all levels of Government to do their part to make sure that refugees and people seeking asylum are not left behind amid the pressures of the COVID-19 crisis.
Rev Steve Francis, Moderator of the Uniting Church WA said, “It has been so encouraging to see the caring spirit of our communities and our politicians as they put aside traditional divides to make sure we all get through this COVID-19 crisis.
From 14 to 20 June we celebrate Refugee Week, welcoming those who have come into Australia and celebrating the valuable contribution refugees and people seeking asylum make to our society. The Uniting Church has always been a strong advocate for the rights of people fleeing persecution – but we are not alone in our calls for justice.
Wherever possible the Uniting Church seeks to collaborate with service providers to ensure we are reflecting the needs of people most in need. In the complex field of immigration issues it is also handy to have assistance from academic friends – like Dr Caroline Fleay.