Our Lady of the Assumption Feast Day, August 15th, 2007. Dancers from Kalumburu in the north Kimberley, young and old, gather for the procession to the outdoor Mass, to honour Our Lady and remember their foundation day.
Photo: CAS

"Let them dance in praise of his name, playing to him on strings and drums!"
Psalm 149:3

Issue 7, November 2007, Highlights:

Editorial

Viewpoint

New Staff Member

Caritas - Caritas applauds Indigenous communities doing it for themselves

WYD08 - World Youth Day

The Blake Art Prize - A Kimberley Winner

That's what they do - Army Reservist to Footy Coach

Larger view of cover image

KCP Magazine

Editorial

Who is my Neighbour?

The Catholic Bishops have published their 2007 Social Justice Statement and their theme for this year is Australia’s role as a global citizen. Whilst there are plenty of issues to occupy us at home in Australia, the bishops remind us that we have an ‘obligation to act in the interests of people who do not share our prosperity and security.’

The Australian and West Australian Governments have been boasting of their planned budget surpluses and have even discovered that their projections were conservative and the treasuries have more in store than was estimated. We know that there are matters needing attention such as hospitals, schools, indigenous housing and roads, and these need to be attended to, in some cases urgently. At the same time, Australia has an obligation to ensure that its overseas aid is ‘up to the mark’.

We know that individual Australians are very generous in their contributions to special appeals for assistance to our overseas sisters and brothers in times of natural disaster. However, our Governmental aid continues to fall short of the UN target of 0.7% of our gross national income. We currently contribute 0.25%. Even some of this figure is inflated by creative accounting such as including the costs of building detention facilities overseas.

The Bishops wish to point out that the protection of national citizens from harm, especially from terrorist attack, is justified. However, the so called ‘pre-emptive’ option of striking at another nation on the suspicion that its Government or some of its citizens might mount an attack somewhere in the world is another matter.

The Statement also examines the roles of the various international institutions, including the United Nations itself, and the need for a reform of these bodies to ensure that the weakest and the poorest nations receive fair and just treatment and not further exploitation. This is particularly relevant to the issue of world debt.

Two very relevant topics for consideration in the next Federal Election campaign are also mentioned in the statement - climate change and border protection. These are clearly matters that have global significance and are areas where many would say that Australia has not been the best global citizen in the past and where Australia could in fact give a lead. All the financial security in the world will not ensure clean air and drinkable water; we need to make changes to our lifestyle and at the same time ensure that we are not adversely affecting the lifestyles of our neighbours. We have to reconsider our obligations to refugees; paying other nations to take them ‘off our hands’ is not acceptable.

So there is plenty of relevant information and timely comment from the Bishops’ Statement for this year’s Social Justice Sunday. Reading and pondering it will provide a worthwhile preparation for questioning your Candidates on Australia’s performance as a good global citizen and for casting your vote in the next Federal Election.

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