Skip to content

advocacy

An image drawn on a chalkboard: The Silhouette of a family with two young children fleeing, bordered by chain link fencing

National Refugee Week

We provide information about National Refugee Week, this year’s theme and how you can get involved. We also provide information on this year’s Palm Sunday Rallies for Refugees around the country.

Multicultural felt cutouts of people on a black background

International Day for the Elimination of Racism

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is marked on 21 March. These days, in Australia, we mark this day as Harmony Day. This helps us to appreciate the benefits of a multicultural Australia, but it can also ignore the hard questions about how racism still exists in Australia and effects the lives of many people. We provide some information on how you can challenge racism in society.

Logo: Project Compassion: For all future generations

Project Compassion

We’re in the middle of Lent, but it’s not too late to support the development work of Caritas Australia, not only by your weekly contributions at Mass, but also by organising community fund raising events. Learn more about what you can do.

Cupped hands filled with small easter eggs

Challenging Slavery at Easter

Peter Arndt, Director of the Office reflects on Advent and particularly on seeing God with us each day. The hustle and bustle of this time of year can stop us seeing and hearing God in our day-to-day lives. He urges us to keep Christ in our celebrations of Christmas by remembering and including people excluded from society and our brother and sisters in the environment in our celebrations. Peter farewells Patrice Moriarty who is moving on from her support of the Office.

A crowd of people marching, with a sign in the background reading "Social Justice"

World Social Justice Day

Peter Arndt, Director of the Office reflects on Advent and particularly on seeing God with us each day. The hustle and bustle of this time of year can stop us seeing and hearing God in our day-to-day lives. He urges us to keep Christ in our celebrations of Christmas by remembering and including people excluded from society and our brother and sisters in the environment in our celebrations. Peter farewells Patrice Moriarty who is moving on from her support of the Office.

A pair of hands reaching up to climb over a barbed wire fence, with a with a dark grey sky

Struggles for Human Rights

Peter Arndt, Director of the Office reflects on Advent and particularly on seeing God with us each day. The hustle and bustle of this time of year can stop us seeing and hearing God in our day-to-day lives. He urges us to keep Christ in our celebrations of Christmas by remembering and including people excluded from society and our brother and sisters in the environment in our celebrations. Peter farewells Patrice Moriarty who is moving on from her support of the Office.

A women with down syndrome is reading something from her laptop in a modern apartment.

The Church Is Our Home

Peter Arndt, Director of the Office reflects on Advent and particularly on seeing God with us each day. The hustle and bustle of this time of year can stop us seeing and hearing God in our day-to-day lives. He urges us to keep Christ in our celebrations of Christmas by remembering and including people excluded from society and our brother and sisters in the environment in our celebrations. Peter farewells Patrice Moriarty who is moving on from her support of the Office.

A mother sits with her son look together at a piece of paper on a coffee table.

Update on the 2022-2023 Budget and Asylum Seekers

The Federal government released their 2022-2023 budget after the election. Although there is new funding available to speed up visa processing which is years behind, and there is a review on Australia’s multicultural policies and more support for people learning English, there was no commitment to permanency for those on temporary visas and no increased refugee intake.

Event for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Join us on November 25 at 3pm AEDT for an online event for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, highlighting the Bishops 2022-2023 Social Justice Statement, Respect: Confronting Violence and Abuse. Speakers include Bishop Vincent Long, Miichael Jeh, an Ambassador for Small Steps 4 Hannah organisation, Sr Christian Carlan from ACRATH and Shatha Jago from JRS. Registrations now open.

Uncle Paul Kabai faces camera standing in his garden in the Torres Strait. Source: NITV / Kiera Jenkins

Torres Strait Islanders Take Action

A group of eight Torres Strait Islanders have gone to the United Nations to bring a complaint against the Australian Government for failing to protect their human rights in the face of rising sea levels. With rising waters effecting their food gardens, cemeteries and coast lines, the group successfully argued their point and the UN supported their complaint. An in-depth article by SBS goes into detail on the process and the climate heroes involved.