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National Reconciliation Week - it is important for all Australians not to keep our history a mystery
National Reconciliation Week is a reminder that Indigenous Australians have faced challenges to educate an Australian public that prefers not to be reminded of the wrongs Indigenous Australians have suffered or of the need for reconciliation, writes ANDY HAMILTON SJ. The theme of National Reconciliation Week (May 27 – June 3) this year is ‘Don’t keep…
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Palm Sunday - reflection by Andy Hamilton SJ
ANDY HAMILTON SJ writes that nationwide Palm Sunday rallies offer a much needed opportunity to demonstrate the compassion and humanity that is often absent in Australia’s treatment of refugees. In its original setting Palm Sunday was a day of transitory celebration at the beginning of a week that culminated in rejection, torture and death and…
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Harmony Day - reflection by Andy Hamilton SJ
Confidence in our own identity is the key to embracing the differences of others, writes ANDY HAMILTON SJ In nature diversity is a good thing. Lack of diversity makes for inbreeding and impoverishment of the gene pool. It makes crops more liable to catastrophic disease with consequences for all those who rely on them for…
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International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination - Reflection by Andy Hamilton SJ
Looking inside ourselves to uncover the sources of our prejudices is the key to welcoming difference as a gift, writes ANDY HAMILTON SJ We have seen the evil of racism in historical and current events. The Nazi persecution of Jews and attempt to eradicate them are among the greatest evils of last century. The…
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A brighter future for women in the justice system equals a brighter future for us all
On International Women’s Day, our focus should be investing in addressing the factors that lead to the involvement of women in the justice system, writes Jesuit Social Services volunteer FRAN SHEAHAN. Women prisoners, like all of us, belong to a complex system where relationships are critical to wellbeing. The interdependence at the heart of relationship…
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"The Apology engendered great hope. It remains unrealised".
Picture credit: butupa A decade on from Prime Minister Rudd’s landmark Apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples, ANDY HAMILTON SJ reflects that the great hope engendered by it remains unrealised. Ten years have passed since the Apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples by then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on behalf of Parliament and the nation. It seems…
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Federal Government’s MYEFO seeks to create second class citizens
The Federal Government’s Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook seeks to create second class citizens who are excluded from full participation in society, writes Jesuit Social Services Media Relations Manager KATHRYN KERNOHAN. This week, the Federal Government handed down its Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO), an update on this year’s Federal Budget. The Federal Government…
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On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25), ANDY HAMILTON SJ writes that improving the attitudes, beliefs and behaviours of men towards women will improve outcomes for all members of society. Some people have asked why there is a special day dedicated to the elimination of violence against women. Is…
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ANDY HAMILTON SJ explores how justice can hold people to account while also offering hope and a pathway forward. In recent years in Australia justice has increasingly been seen through the lens of punishment. It is retributive. You do the crime, you do the time. In public controversies about justice critics usually complain that the…
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NDIS not meeting the needs of marginalised members of the community
The harrowing tale of a young man languishing in prison due to a lack of suitable accommodation in the community highlights that the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) does not meet the needs of some of the most marginalised members of the community, writes Jesuit Social Services Media Relations Manager KATHRYN KERNOHAN. The story of…