1969: Affirmation by Arbitration Commission of the principle of equal pay for women performing equal work
2020-06-19 00:00 - 23:59 (Australia/Sydney)

1945: Introduction of unemployment benefits in Australia
2020-06-30 00:00 - 23:59

Coming of the Light Festival
2020-07-01 00:00 - 23:59
The Coming of the Light is a holiday celebrated by Torres Strait Islanders on 1 July each year. It recognises the adoption of Christianity through island communities during the late nineteenth century. Find out more here.

2012: Commencement of the Fair Work Amendment (TCF Industry) Act
2020-07-01 00:00 - 23:59
Many of the outworkers in the garment industry are migrant women. They are often vulnerable to exploitation due to limited English language skills or lack of knowledge about their rights as workers. The 2012 amendment to the Fair Work Act aimed at ensuring fair pay and conditions for them. Find out more here.

The amendment was the result of an extensive fair wear campaign by trade unions and community groups. At the international level, the Fair Wear Foundation continues to work for safe, dignified and properly paid work in the garment industry.

Check out the website of Ethical Clothing Australia to find out how to ensure that your clothing was not made in just conditions.

1971: Yvonne Goolangong Crawley wins Wimbledon
2020-07-02 00:00 - 23:59

1970: Death of women's rights activist Jessie Street
2020-07-02 00:00 - 23:59
https://www.nationalwomenslibrary.org.au/aboutus/who-was-jessie-street/
Jessie Street (1889-1970) was an activist, a feminist and a lifelong campaigner for women’s rights, the peace movement and the elimination of discrimination against Aboriginal people.

2016: Election of Linda Burney as first Aboriginal woman member of the Australian Parliament
2020-07-02 00:00 - 23:59
The Hon Linda Burney MP has contributed significantly to the development of Indigenous communities locally, regionally and nationally as an educator, championing reconciliation in Australia, as Member of the NSW Parliament, and as the Federal Member for Barton.

In 2014 she received a NAIDOC Week lifetime achievement award. You can read the citation here.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday
2020-07-05 00:00 - 23:59
Bishop Don Sproxton’s Message for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday is the first Sunday in July. NAIDOC Week follows because it is always celebrated in the first full week of July. This year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, there will be an online Mass for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday steamed live from the Adelaide Cathedral.

Here is an online Acknowledgement of Country that you can use at your own events.

Online Acknowledgement of Country from NATSICC

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) is producing materials to help parishes organisations and schools to celebrate this special Sunday in an appropriate manner. Check out this page on their website for videos and images that you can use in your own liturgical celebrations, whether face to face or streamed.

Find out more about NATSICC’s concerns for First Nations communities facing COVID-19 and the ways in which NATSICC is responding here.

NAIDOC Week
2020-07-05 00:00 - 2020-07-12 23:59
Here is an important announcement from the National NAIDOC Committee:

The National NAIDOC Committee has decided to postpone NAIDOC Week 2020 (5 July – 12 July) in the interest of safety for our communities. This decision was not taken lightly. We have taken on-board the advice from the Federal Government, health experts, our key partners and from leading national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health organisations. We all believe that an escalating COVID-19 (Coronavirus) crisis as we head into winter would have disastrous impacts on our mob – especially for our elders and those in our communities with chronic health issues. The National NAIDOC Awards scheduled for Saturday 11 July in Alice Springs will not go ahead as planned. We have suspended the nomination process for the National NAIDOC Awards 2020 and announcement of the winner of the poster competition until further notice. The 2020 NAIDOC Local Grants Round has also been closed until further notice. We are in the process of finalising a new date for NAIDOC Week 2020 – towards the end of the year – and we’ll continue to work closely with the National Indigenous Australians Agency and our partners for NAIDOC Week 2020. We will keep you updated. National NAIDOC Committee

The NAIDOC 2020 theme, Always Was, Always Will Be, recognises that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years. This is also a great time to get in touch with your local Aboriginal Catholic Ministry or to check out NATSICCTV to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experiences, perspectives and contributions to life of the Church here.

1839: Massacre of Aboriginal people at Chimney Pots, Grampians, Vic: 60 people estimated killed
2020-07-06 00:00 - 23:59

1971: Aboriginal Flag first flown, Adelaide SA
2020-07-12 00:00 - 23:59
Does your parish, school or Catholic organisation fly the Aboriginal flag? If not, perhaps you can consider doing so on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday and other special dates such as Sorry Day, NAIDOC Week and Reconciliation Week?

Find out more about the Aboriginal flag here.

1995: Proclamation of Aboriginal Flag and Torres Strait Islander Flag as official flags of Australia
2020-07-14 00:00 - 23:59
Did you know that the Australian national flag is not the only official flag of Australia? The Australian Aboriginal Flag and Torres Strait Islander Flag were proclaimed as official flags of Australia on 14 July 1995. Find out more here.

This would be a great day to invite people from your local Aboriginal Catholic Ministry or local Land Council to talk to your parish, school or group about what it means to them for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags to be officially recognized.

Schools Tree Day
2020-07-31 00:00 - 23:59
Schools Tree Day is a great way to inspire your students to learn about the local environment while playing an active role in their community. Find out how to get involved here.

It is also a good time for students to find out about the Laudato Tree project here. It was conceived by the Society of African Missions as a living tribute to Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’. Inaugurated in 2018 by the President of Ireland, the project’s partners include the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the African Union, The Tree Council of Ireland, ORGIIS and Aduna.

1965: First Indochinese refugees allowed to settle in Australia
2020-08-02 00:00 - 23:59
On this day, we celebrate the contribution of Indochinese refugees to Australian society and reflect on the varying quality of welcome extended by our community to asylum seekers over the past fifty-five years.

Our first Vietnamese-born Australian Bishop is Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen OFM Conv. He is the Bishops’ Delegate for Migrants and Refugees and the Chair of the Bishops’ Commission for Social Justice, Mission and Service. Learn more about how Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen’s coat of arms tells his story here.

2014: Death of Ms Dhu, an Aboriginal woman, at South Hedland, WA, sparking a national outcry
2020-08-04 00:00 - 23:59
More information here.

National Aboriginal and Islander Children's Day
2020-08-04 00:00 - 23:59
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day is a time to for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families to celebrate the strengths and culture of their children. The day is an opportunity for all Australians to show their support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, as well as learn about the crucial impact that culture, family and community play in the life of every child. Find out more here.

St Mary MacKillop
2020-08-08 00:00 - 23:59
St Mary of the Cross Mackillop is the first Australian to be recognised as a saint. You can learn more about her life here.

For Catholics in Australia, the life and work of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop has become an inspiration and a part of their identity. In Catholic Social Justice Series paper No 72, Charity and Justice: St Mary MacKillop and Australian Society, John Warhurst explores Mary’s unwavering vision: that a commitment to justice must go hand in hand with a commitment to hard practical work on behalf of people on the margins of society.

1963: Bark petition from Yirrkala presented to Parliament
2020-08-14 00:00 - 23:59
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies explains that “the Yirrkala Bark petitions of August 1963 were sent to the Parliament by members of the clan groups living in the area of Yirrkala. Written in both Yolngu Matha and English, and presented on painted bark boards depicting country, the petitions protest the excision of land from the Reserve where they live, where they hunt and where their sites of significance are situated.” Find out more here.

1903: Death of William Barak, Aboriginal leader and co-founder of the Coranderrk Settlement, Victoria
2020-08-15 00:00 - 23:59
The Victorian Government website explains that William Barak “is closely associated with Coranderrk, the Aboriginal settlement established near Healesville in 1863. He campaigned for its creation, contributed to its early success as a thriving, self-sufficient community, and was its indefatigable defender until the end of his life. He saw Coranderrk as a way for the Kulin people to maintain a physical connection to their country; a connection he played a key role in educating non-Aboriginal people about.” Learn more about William Barak here.

1975: Return of Wave Hill Station, NT to the Gurindji People
2020-08-16 00:00 - 23:59
Perhaps you are familiar with the iconic photograph of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam pouring soil through Vincent Lingiari’s hand when leasehold title for Daguragu (known as Wattie Creek) was transferred to the Gurindji people on 16 August 1975?

Paul Kelly’s song From Little Things Big Things Grow tells the story of the Wave Hill walk off and the Gurindji’s struggle for title to their land. An exhibition at the National Museum of Australia took its title from the song. Photographs from the exhibition and the lyrics of the song can be viewed here.

1971: Swearing-in of Senator Neville Bonner as the first Aboriginal Australian to hold a seat in Federal Parliament
2020-08-17 00:00 - 23:59
Neville Thomas Bonner (1922–1999) was the first Aboriginal person to serve as a member of the Australian Parliament. He was a Senator for Queensland from 1971 to 1983. Hear him speak bout his life in the video below.

1992 Interview with Neville Bonner

1978: Tiwi Land Council established
2020-08-18 00:00 - 23:59
On this day in 1978 the Tiwi Land Council was established under the Commonwealth Land Rights Act. This is how the Council describes its vision:

“Our vision is of an independent and resilient Tiwi society built on the orderly and well managed utilization of our natural and human resources through reliance upon our own management, maintenance and protection of unique cultural and natural resource values for the enjoyment and benefit of future generations of Tiwi.” Tiwi Land Council

1943: Election of the first women members of the Australian Parliament: Enid Lyons (House of Representatives) and Dorothy Tangney (Senate)
2020-08-21 00:00 - 23:59
At the Federal election of 1943, Enid Lyons (united Australia Party) and Dorothy Tangney (Australian Labour Party) became the first women to be elected to the Australian parliament. A video from the National Museum of Australia on this page tells their story.

Today much remains to be done to counter ongoing resistance to hearing women’s voices in the public square. Our first female Prime Minister endured sustained misogynistic attacks and the digital world is another space in which abuse can silence women’s voices.

A 2018 Ipsos MORI poll found that:

“Two-fifths (40%) of women who said that they had experienced abuse or harassment on a social media platform either ceased or decreased their use of the platforms. Some women are also restricting what they post about: 27% of those with an experience of online abuse or harassment said they had stopped posting content that expressed their opinion on certain issues, and 23% said they had stopped sharing content that expressed their opinion on certain issues.” Amnesty International

The E-Safety Commissioner’s website offers resources specifically for women on this page.

Making the digital world a safe place for women and girls is the responsibility of all of us, especially boys and men. Contact Catholic social service organisations in your diocese to find out about their programs that help to promote respectful relationships. Contact details for member organisations of Catholic Social Service Australia are available here.

1996: Death of Margaret Tucker, Indigenous Australian activist and writer
2020-08-23 00:00 - 23:59
Margaret (Lilardia) Tucker (1904 – 1996) was one of Australia’s earliest and most notable Aboriginal activists. The Indigenous Australia website explains:

“Her Aboriginal name, Lilardia, means flower but she was known affectionately to black and white alike as ‘Auntie Marge’. She was born at Warrangasda, an Aboriginal reserve near Darlington Point on the Murrumbidgee River in NSW, of a full-blood mother and part-white father, Theresa and Bill Clements. Over the years, Auntie Marge won the respect of people because of her refusal to be embittered by the injustices and wrongs done to her people. Her philosophy was to go on fighting to put the wrongs right. Throughout her life, she never lost her sense of compassion and understanding for others.” Tucker, Margaret Elizabeth, Indigenous Australia

1966: Gurindji strike or Wave Hill Walk-off, beginning the longest strike in Australian history
2020-08-24 00:00 - 23:59
On this day in 1966 the Gurindji walked off Wave Hill Station. What began as a strike over the refusal of Vestey Brothers to pay Aboriginal workers was to become a pivotal event in the struggle for the legal recognition of Aboriginal land rights.

As the National Museum of Australia explains:

“The Gurindji strike was instrumental in heightening the understanding of Indigenous land ownership in Australia and was a catalyst for the passing of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976, the first legislation allowing for a claim of title if the Indigenous claimants could provide evidence for their traditional relationship to the land.” Wave Hill Walk-Off, National Museum of Australia

On 16 August 1975 the deeds for part of Wave Hill Station were presented to Gurindji leader Vincent Lingiari by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam.

2001: Rescue of 433 asylum seekers by MV Tampa
2020-08-26 00:00 - 23:59
Today we remember the humanitarian action of Captain Arne Rinnan and the need to work towards more just and compassionate asylum policy in Australia.

In August 2001 a small Indonesian fishing boat carrying asylum seekers became stranded in international waters approximately 140 kilometres from Christmas Island. The 433 asylum seekers were rescued by the Norwegian freighter MV Tampa on 26 August.

When some of the asylum seekers, who were mainly Hazaras fleeing Afghanistan, threatened to commit suicide if returned to Indonesia, Captain Arne Rinnan set course for Christmas Island.

A stand off ensued with the Australian government refusing to allow the asylum seekers to be landed. Many of the asylum seekers were in poor health and over a period of 48 hours Captain Rinnan made many requests to the Australian government for assistance. Eventually he entered Australian waters, and was warned that he was in breach of the law. Special Air Service troops were dispatched to prevent the Tampa from coming any closer to Christmas Island.

As the National Museum of Australia notes “the ‘Tampa Crisis’ became the catalyst for Australia’s new ‘border protection’ policy. It also became a pivotal issue in the 2001 federal election campaign”.

You can read the response of the Australian Catholic Bishops at the time here.

Social Justice Sunday
2020-08-30 00:00 - 23:59
From 2020 forward, Social Justice Sunday will be celebrated on the last Sunday of August. Previously it was celebrated on the last Sunday in September.

A Long Tradition

The celebration of Social Justice Sunday is a long tradition in the Catholic Church in Australia. For almost every year since 1940, our bishops have joined together to issue a major social justice statement at this time.

Of course, the bishops also make statements on matters of social and ecological justice at other times throughout the year too. These are often issued by individual bishops delegated as spokespersons for particular issues, or by commissions of bishops. By contrast, the social justice statement issued in time for Social Justice Sunday is approved by and issued in the name of the whole bishops’ conference. It is hoped that these statements will inspire reflection and action throughout the whole year.

Social Justice Statement 2020-21

The Social Justice Statement 2020-21 is titled To Live Life to the Full: Mental health in Australia today. You can download Statement and accompanying prayer card on this page of our website and via the ACBC Online Shop.

The 2020–2021 Statement, To Live Life to the Full: Mental health in Australia today, encourages faith communities, governments and each one of us, to make mental health a priority. It is a timely message in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic is affecting many members of our parishes, schools and communities.Understanding mental health will help us to be aware of those who need our support. The Statement encourages us all to reject stigmatisation, to work for the transformation of social determinants of mental ill-health, and to call for policies and service provision that meets the needs of the poorest and most marginalised members of our community.

Previous Statements

View and download Social Justice Statements and associated resources from 2014 – 2019 here.

The Social Justice Statements from 1988 – 2013 have been published together in a book called Building Bridges.

National Wattle Day
2020-09-01 00:00 - 23:59
National Wattle Day has been officially celebrated since 1992.

“On 1 September 1988, Golden Wattle was declared officially as Australia’s national floral emblem. While Golden Wattle had long enjoyed that status informally – note its prominent place within the Commonwealth Coat of Arms dating from 1912 (frontispiece) and on the insignia of the Order of Australia – it had taken strong supporters of the emblem, notably Maria Hitchcock and also the Society for Growing Australian Plants (SGAP), to persuade the Federal Government to grant official recognition in the Bicentennial Year.” Rod Panter, Science, Technology, Environment and Resources Group, Updated 1997.

1991: Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation Act passed by Parliament
2020-09-02 00:00 - 23:59
Action

Does your parish, school or Catholic organisation have a Reconciliation Action Plan? Today might be a good day to check on your progress, or to start the process of developing a Reconciliation Action Plan.

What is Reconciliation?

ANTaR describe reconciliation as “a process where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, non-Indigenous Australians and Australian governments forge a new relationship based on mutual understanding, recognition and respect.”

The formal process of reconciliation had its roots in the establishment of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation which was established as a statutory authority on 2 September 1991 with the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation Act 1991. The Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation was disbanded in 2000.

In 2001 Reconciliation Australia was established as an independent not for profit organisation with the aim of inspiring and enabling all Australians to contribute to the reconciliation of the nation. Reconciliation Australia highlight five dimensions of reconciliation between First Nations people and communities and non-indigenous Australians:

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Australia’s colonial history is characterised by devastating land dispossession, violence, and racism. Over the last half-century, however, many significant steps towards reconciliation have been taken. Reconciliation is an ongoing journey that reminds us that while generations of Australians have fought hard for meaningful change, future gains are likely to take just as much, if not more, effort. In a just, equitable and reconciled Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children will have the same life chances and choices as non-Indigenous children, and the length and quality of a person’s life will not be determined by their racial background. Our vision of reconciliation is based and measured on five dimensions: historical acceptance; race relations; equality and equity; institutional integrity and unity. These five dimensions do not exist in isolation, but are interrelated. Reconciliation cannot be seen as a single issue or agenda; the contemporary definition of reconciliation must weave all of these threads together. For example, greater historical acceptance of the wrongs done to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can lead to improved race relations, which in turn leads to greater equality and equity. Reconciliation Australia

1936: Death in Hobart Zoo of the last Tasmanian tiger in captivity
2020-09-07 00:00 - 23:59
“On this day in 1936, the last known survivor of the thylacine species, better known as Tasmanian tigers, is said to have died in captivity in Hobart, Australia, having only been captured a few years earlier in 1933. It was renowned as the largest carnivorous marsupial to survive into the modern age, and now that it is extinct, this honour has passed on to its close relative, the endangered Tasmanian devil.” History Channel Australia
