Church News

MEDIA RELEASE: New migration bill ‘a disaster for human dignity’

anglican

27 November, 2014

New migration bill “a disaster for human dignity”

The Government’s proposed new migration laws are the most draconian since White Australia, and will deprive asylum seekers of human dignity and the most basic human rights, according to ethicist Revd Dr Gordon Preece, chairman of the Social Responsibilities Committee of the Melbourne Anglican Church.

“When a massive increase in the bill of human misery is being prepared for asylum seekers, we self-interestedly ask for whom the bill tolls, forgetting that as part of humanity, it also tolls for us,” Dr Preece said.

He urged the Senate to speak up for unrepresented and de-voiced asylum seekers as they did last week for victims of unscrupulous financial advisers, and to reject the proposed Migration and Maritime Powers bill, which has passed through the lower house.

“Will the Senate again refuse railroading by short-term national self-interest for the sake of justice, compassion and prudence?”

Dr Preece said the bill was barbaric, because it unilaterally removed references to the universally recognised cornerstone of refugee protection, the UN Refugees Convention. It would be a disaster for human dignity and for accountability.

For example, asylum seekers’ babies, even if born here, were rendered stateless, creating “profound, negative effects on children’s identities and development, and greater risks of children experiencing labour and sexual exploitation, trafficking, poverty and discrimination,” (UNICEF Australia), he said. They would be denied health care, legal protection, education and job opportunities, on top of a detention system that 80 per cent of paediatricians labelled child abuse.

Dr Preece said the Senate should again stand against a short-term nationalistic self-interest. “Turkey have welcomed 1.8 million Syrian and Iraqi refugees. Its PM told the G20: ‘we cannot close our borders because they are … our neighbours, but before everything they are human beings’.”

For more information, contact:
Dr Gordon Preece on 0401 653 328 or preece.gordon@hotmail.com<mailto:preece.gordon@hotmail.com>

Melbourne Anglican communications adviser Barney Zwartz on 0422 373 891, or bzwartz@melbourneanglican.org.au<mailto:bzwartz@melbourneanglican.org.au>.

G20 must seek new solutions : Statement by Dr Philip Freier, Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia and Archbishop of Melbourne

The G20 meeting of the world’s 20 largest economies in Brisbane this weekend takes place in increasingly uncertain times. There are growing fears of global recession, rising international tensions and growing economic inequality between countries and within countries.

In the longer term there are vast challenges, such as managing climate change, global population growth and movement, international conflict, food security, water, and potential epidemics.
It is essential that the countries taking part look beyond their own short-term national interests and seek to address these challenges in a concerted and effective way.

I echo Pope Francis, who urged last week that the discussions move beyond declarations of principle to real improvements in the living conditions of poorer families and the reduction of all forms of unacceptable inequality.

It will require good will and trust on all sides if the G20 summit is to achieve real progress, and it is the nature of international politics that no one wants to go first on such a path. Yet without a clear-sighted optimism, real change will be impossible.

Failure to address these issues of economic security and justice will lead to more international conflict and reduce the possibility of human flourishing. They cannot be left to fester. The Anglican Church of Australia urges the G20 leaders to search for new and cooperative solutions that can work across the globe. To that end, we offer our support and prayers.

+Philip, Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia

For more information contact communications adviser Barney Zwartz at bzwartz@melbourneanglican.org.au<mailto:bzwartz@melbourneanglican.org.au>, or on 0422 373 891.

Altered Service arrangements November 16th and 23rd

This Sunday (November 16) Dr Stuart Blackler will celebrate the Eucharist at
the 8.00 and 10.00 Services. Michael Danaher will be preaching.

On Sunday November 23rd, Bishop Graeme Rutherford will celebrate and preach
at both Services, and will chair the Annual Meeting.

Richard McKinney Memorial Advent Lecture Series commencing November 11th

Guest Speaker:  The Rev Dr Lorraine Parkinson    What has Christianity done to Jesus?

  1. Tuesday November 11th   Uniting Church, East Ivanhoe    How did Jesus of Nazareth become Jesus the Christ?: The Make-over that changed the world.
  2. Tuesday November 18th  St George’s Anglican Church, East Ivanhoe   Contradiction and Crisis in the Church:  identifying the Gospel of Jesus and the Gospel of Christ.
  3. Tuesday November 25th  Mother of God Catholic Church, East Ivanhoe . The Teaching the Church Forgot:  Why Christian Creeds and Doctrine ‘forgot’ the Teaching of Jesus.

Talks commence at 8.00 pm.  Supper to follow