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We are an ecumenical, mainstream organization, established in 2008. We aim to strengthen social justice and ethical structures in Australia; to promote social justice as a core Christian value; and to further public education on ethics, current social justice issues and the Christian perspective on them.

Calendar of Future CES events:

(more details)

While the forum listed below is now past, we can advertise a Public Lecture at the ANU on a very similar topic.

Professor Sir Michael Marmot will speak about action that is taking place globally to address the social determinants of health and health inequities.
Where: Weston Theatre, Crawford School, ANU
When: Wednesday 9 May 2012 1-2pm
See here for further details, noting that registration is essential here or phone 6125 0446

"FREEDOM to lead a life we have reason to VALUE: the social causes of HEALTH & WELLBEING "

Speaker: Professor Sharon Friel Professor of Health Equity & ARC Future Fellow, ANU College of Medicine, Biology & Environment
Chair:       TBA
When:       7:30pm Thursday, 19 April 2012
Where:    Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, Corner Blackall St and Kings Av, Barton

Professor Friel's research encompasses many issues at the heart of this year's theme - namely the importance health equity and its relationship to: global health; social determinants of health; climate change; food systems and food security; socio-environmental determinants of non-communicable diseases, urbanisation; mental health in selected south-eastern Australian rural communities flowing from acute and chronic climatic changes. She is interested in research, training, policy and advocacy related to action in the social and environmental determinants of health equity in Australia and across the Asia Pacific including Papua New Guinea.

poster (A4, 107kB) media release

What's new what's different?

Reconciliation Week seminar: Rights and Recognition: From Native Title to the Constitution

Speakers: Mick Dodson AM, and Masepah Banu

In this seminar speakers Professor Mick Dodson and Masepah Banu will discuss how Native Title is changing lives in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. They will also consider the next step in the 'rights agenda', the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Australian Constitution.

WHEN: 7.15 - 9.30 pm, Monday 28 May 2012
WHERE: Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre, 2nd Floor, North Building, 180 London Circuit, Canberra City
COST: This is a FREE event. Light refreshments will be provided.
RSVP: Please rsvp for catering purposes to lisa@actcoss.org.au by 24 May 2012.

Note - this is not a CES event. For more information please download the seminar flyer:
Rights and Recognition: From Native Title to the Constitution.

Referendum to acknowledge Australian Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Peoples

Read here about the proposal to change Australia's constitution to include recognition of Indigenous Australians

Responding to homelessness in the ACT

Read here about the submission of Project Safe Shelter to the inquiry of the Standing Committee on Health, Community and Social Services into social housing.

Recent member/supporter bulletins

2012 March | February | January |

2011 November | October | August |

Audio Downloads are available for some previous forums:

Forums held in 2012

"Where lies Happiness? The Christian Understanding of Contentment and Community" : Reverend Professor James Haire
This forum was held on 8 March 2012.
A copy of Professor Haire's paper is available here as .doc, 97kB and here as .pdf, 104kB

"FREEDOM to lead a life we have reason to VALUE: the social causes of HEALTH & WELLBEING": Professor Sharon Friel

This forum was held on 19 April 2012
A copy of Professor Friel's slides is available here (pdf, 4.8MB)

Forums held in 2011

Our Theme for 2011 was Good Stewardship - Protecting our Future see here for more info

- "Known Knowns: A Basket of Summer fruit."
The Lord said to Amos “What do you see”? And I said “A basket of summer fruit”. Amos 8:2 - Bishop George Browning
This forum was held on the 17 February 2011.

- "Nuclear Power - Bequeathing yet more problems to future generations?" - Dr Sue Wareham

This forum was held on 24 March 2011

- "Stakeholding: Towards a Christian Theology of Radical Inclusivity" NATSIEC - Dr. Anthony G. Reddie

This forum was held on 29th March 2011

"Populating the future" - Geoff Buckmaster, Mark O'Connor
This forum was held on 12 May 2011

- "Water community and food" Dr John Williams of the Wentworth Group
This forum was held on 8 September 2011

- "Climate Change "Denial" Twisting Language?" Dr Haydn Washington
This forum was held on 13 October 2011
A PowerPoint copy (5 MB) of this forum is available here and a PDF copy (2 MB) is available here

- "Sustainable Cities" Professor Peter Newman
This forum was held on 25 November 2011
A PowerPoint copy (.pptx, 111 MB) of this forum is available here and a PDF copy (16 MB) is available here

Non CES Events.

none listed at present

Items of potential interest - please have a look

A death to celebrate - Ronald Osborn - Commonweal
Retirement of Bishop Bill Morris - some homilies
Michael Fallon MSC
Frank Brennan SJ
Australian Religious Response to Climate Change
Great Native Title Swindle - Fortescue Metals Group (FMG)
Talking about the carbon tax - Catholic Religious Australia
ON LINE Opinion
Much more than a "thought bubble" - Dick Smith
Tiny [thought] bubbles - Ross Elliot
MORE THAN LUCK - Ideas Australia Needs Now - Centre For Policy Development - (download a PDF version here 1.5MB)
Jeopardy (Fukushima) - Commonweal
The Converging World: Climate Change, Planetary limits, What can/should we do? - David Teather - Canberra U3A Action Discussion Group
The Science of Climate Change Questions and Answers - Australian Academy of Science
Climate Change: Science and Solutions for Australia - CSIRO
Unevolved - Quest for the Living God - Sr. Elizabeth Johnson - Commonweal
Paul Collins and the Vatican - Eureka Street
Poor information and sense of irritation hamper climate change science - Tim Flannery -The Australian
Briefing Papers (Fact Sheets) - Energy Science
Stop the Intervention - National Indigenous Times
Jenny Macklin to Frank Brennan - Eureka Street
The Northern Territory Intervention and Human Rights: an Anthropological Perspective - Whitlam Institute
Who's still in Afganistan? - newmatilda.com
“Big problems” in Alice Springs - Inside Story
Inside Story - 7 February 2011 - Swinburne Institute for Social Research
Assange receives Hicks treatment - Tony Kevin - Eureka Street
The nine ecological virtues - Rich Heffern - National Catholic Reporter
Living Letter report - Beyond Intervention - Many Voices, One Purpose: Standing in Solidarity - NATSIEC
Why Wattle Day should be our national day - Paul Newbury - Eureka Street
Lay That Pistol Down - Barry Gault - Commonweal
Reflections on an Ordination Golden Anniversary - Fr Eric Hodgens - The Swag
Oprah and WikiLeaks - Andrew Hamilton - Eureka Street
Escaping Oprah and Christmas - Brian Matthews - Eureka Street
Newsletters
ANTaR's December 2010 Newsletter - Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation
NATSIEC December 2010 Newsletter - National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission
BASF News December Newsletter - Bridge for Asylum Seekers Foundation
Inside Story - 3rd December 2010
Social inclusion in ailing Ireland - Eureka Street
The Clock's Ticking - New Matilda
Can Australia afford not to be reconciled? - Pat Dodson - Speech given at the University of NSW, November 2010
Can We Secure Our Food Whilst Maintaining Our Environment? - Dr John Williams - Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists
Graeme Innes, Race Discrimination Commissioner, speaks out about Deaths in Custody
Gurindji strike against NT Intervention - NATSIEC blog re other articles
Senate Majority report on the NT Intervention - Senate Minority Report
An analysis of alcohol and psycho-stimulant use from the 2007 National Drug Strategy Household Survey - Australian Policy Online
Inside Story - Latest Current Affairs and Culture articles
A modern approach to refugee resettlement - Kerry Murphy - Eureka Street
Poor Fellow My Country: Lamenting our Poverty of Spirit. Graeme Mundine - NATSIEC
Nei Neiwa Ya Yu Gali: Towards a Whole Body of Reconciliation - Rev Dr Jonathan Inkpin
Science and Theology - both need new wine in new wine skins. Dr John Williams - (A lecture given in memory of Prof Charles Birch) - Canberra Uniting Church
Should Private Barns have a political, legal and moral ascendancy over "Common Wealth"? - Bishop George Browning - Canberra Uniting Church
Vote for Hope - John Falzon - Eureka Street
Is Coalition Economic Policy A Nauru Solution? - Centre For Policy Development
Why conscientious Christians could vote for the Greens - Frank Brennan - Eureka Street
Refugees:
Refugee Policy In The 2010 Federal Election Campaign: What The Parties Are Saying - Refugee Council of Australia
Meet a Queue Jumper - Crikey
Asylum Numbers in Perspective - Crikey
US Congress - Press Release - West Papua - Institute for Papuan Advocacy & Human Rights
More than Luck: Ideas that Australia needs now - Centre for Policy Development
MySuper's justified paternalism - Michael Mullins - Eureka Street
Election year mental health test - Simon Rice - Eureka Street
To Kill a Mockingbird and asylum seeker justice - Kerry Murphy - Eureka Street
East Timor a not-so-simple solution - Jack De Groot - Eureka Street
"The Collapse of Globalism" - John Ralston Saul - ABC BigIdeas (Note: This is an audio file)
Gillard mining deal betrays the common good - Michael Mullins - Eureka Street
Inside story - this week's news articles
Appetite for Profit --- Michele Simon
Superannuation Changes Fail Fairness Test - Centre for Policy Development
Top judge targets tough jail sentences - Joel Gibson - SMH
The Real Problem with Europe's Economy - Evan Jones - newmatilda.com
Abbott and Australia's new poor - Brian Lawrence - Eureka Street
Putting a value on nature could set the scene for a true green economy -&- Book Pavan Sukhdev Seminar -&- Centre for Policy Development Seminar
ACSJC Briefing June 2010
Wanted - Poster Designer - Mental Health Service Consumer day 14 September 2010 Sydney - The Big Issues
"The Quest for Justice" (drug related crime) - Supreme Court Judge Ken Crispin - 7:30 Report (Kerry O'Brien)
Curtains for newmatilda.com - New Matilda
A strange time for election watchers - Inside Story
World Environment Day 2010 - Many species, one planet, one future - Uniting Justice news
Arresting Mexico's borderland femicide - Ellena Savage - Eureka Street
Phony Tony and the Liar's Paradox - Tony Smith - Eureka Street
Asylum seekers and refugees: what are the facts? - Parliamentary Library, Dept of Parliamentary Services
Labor complacent as Indigenous gap widens - Jack Waterford - Eureka Street
Abbott's immigration paranoia - Eureka Street
The Land Song - Recent British Election - BBC (background to the song)
The budget of social exclusion - Frank Quinlan - Eureka Street
Open letter to PM on 2010 Budget - Friends of the Earth Australia
Making poverty personal - Simon Moyle - Eureka Street
Making work pay and making income support work - Brotherhood of St Lawrence
Women on the move - evaluating a refugee mentoring pilot program - Brotherhood of St Lawrence
Sri Lanka: anatomy of a tragedy - Inside Story
Words in a time of war - Mark Danner - Inside Story
How to save billions in health costs - John Menadue - CPD/Croaky
Catholic Church needs total reform - Bishop Pat Power - Eureka Street
An open letter from Hans Küng to the Catholic bishops of the world - Hans Küng
What do Hans Küng, Geoffrey Robinson, and Pat Power have in common? - Shane Woods and Peter Hoi - Eureka Street
When Harry Hogan went to war - Eureka Street
A new kind of politics - Uniting Church insights
Refugee back flip misses what matters - Andrew Hamilton - Eureka Street
What makes an activist Tick? - Helen Caldicott - newmatilda.com
Why Ali fled Afghanistan - Frank Brennan - Eureka Street
Immigration control versus human rights - Kerry Murphy - Eureka Street
Australian of the Year (Prof Patrick McGorry) "staggered" by suicide figures - ABC News
Uniting Justice joins the campaign for a Robin Hood Tax - Uniting Justice
Nuclear Calendar - FCNL
Abbott, Santamaria and Catholic Liberals - John Warhurst - Eureka Street
Can Capitalism have a Conscience? - Mark Swivel - newmatilda
Romero: faith and power in hard places - Andrew Hamiliton - Eureka Street
Growing a Culture of Peace - Columban Mission Institute - Centre for Peace Ecology and Justice
Israel's rogue behaviour - Michael Mullins - Eureka Street
The War We Can't Win - Afghanistan & the Limits of American Power - Commonweal
Ben Salmon and the Army of Peace - John Dear SJ - National Catholic Reporter
Telstra profits at the expense of low income earners - Australia Institute
Abbott Advises Homeless People To Get A Home - Stephen Nash - newmatilda
Real stories betray Abbott's homelessness untruth - John Falzon, CEO St Vincent de Paul
Global Ethics and Human Responsibilities - Hans Küng
Declaration Toward a Global Ethic - Global Ethics Foundation
Taliban friend's letter to the enemy - Eureka Street
Obama and the works of death - John Dear SJ - National Catholic Reporter
Where to from here on climate change - Centre for Policy Development
Climate Change Refugees - Simon Meyer - Centre for Policy Development
What we failed to learn from the GFC - Ian McAuley - Centre for Policy Development
Reining it in: executive pay in Australia - The Australia Institute
Haiti video - It was hell then....Imagine the horror now - National Catholic Reporter
What a waste - An analysis of household expenditure on food - The Australia Institute
Living in the Midst of Affluence - Catholic Voice
March 2010 Briefing - Australian Catholic Social Justice Council
What's new Feb 2010 - Uniting Justice Australia
Going to Church on Wall Street to Talk about Ethical Economics - Sojourner
In Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand
Pod Rights - Australian Human Rights Commission
Make all drug use legal - Festival of Dangerous Ideas - Radio National Counterpoint
Refugee hysteria breeding Pacific Solution 2.0 - Kerry Murphy - Eureka street
Hope for the Common Good - Uniting Justice
When tolerance doesn't cut it - Andrew Hamilton - Eureka Street
Climate Change - Don't give up on your Government yet - Christine Milne - newmatilda
ACSJC submission to Review of Tax System
The Limits of Crisis Exploitation: The NT Intervention as a Reform Boomerang - Murray Edelman
Gallipoli Diggers and the 'forgotten' holocaust - Eureka Street
The Monthly - Australian Politics, Society and Culture - April 2009 Edition
Australia Institute - For a Just, Sustainable, Peaceful Future - Assorted topical papers/articles
Global Crime Wave? A Syndrome of Crime, Violence, and Repression on the Way (DRUGS) - By Michael T. Klare
Mental Health and smoking - NSW Consumer Voice
GM patents exploit the poor Charles Rue - Eureka Street
Mundine calls for rethink on intervention - CathNews
Exploring the Underlying Social Determinants of Aboriginal Health - Beyond Bandaids
New Report shows Social Inclusion Antidote to Turbulent Times - ANGLICARE Australia
Towards an ethical future - Economy in crisis # 3 - Mark Speeks (The Tablet)
"Dignity in Humanity - Recognizing Christ in Every Person." A Uniting Church in Australia Statement on Human Rights
View the story of the Yolngu people of Ramingining in the northern part of Central Arnhem Land.

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