Campaigns

Dear Friends,

As we enter the third year of trying to “live with Covid” many of us approach the impending federal
election tired, hurt, and anxious. This election will be perhaps like no other. We are not sure if we
can turn up to vote in person, whether the democracy sausage sizzle will meet us when we get
there, and more importantly, in time of such tumult, what guides our vote?

As Australians and as Christians, we are challenged to reflect on the values and issues we want our
country to consider as we face this particular period in our history.

Voting is a very personal choice, nevertheless we come to it as a community that tries to hold true to
Catholic social teaching (CST). So, before the chaos, controversy and drama of the federal election
campaign obscures the path ahead, we wanted to offer you a possible source of reflection.
Attached you will find a series of documents we hope calls us forward to do three things.

FIRST, we have written a short document on the urgency and imperative of CST. SECONDLY, we
have included a number of briefing documents on issues that have real relevance to both CST and
the state of our nation. If you find them useful, we encourage you to share them with your
community, school, friends and family. FINALLY, we are asking each of us to think about, talk about,
pray about, and finally vote on our values in this coming election.

From the fires of 2019 to the women’s march for justice and the enormous battering we have all
taken from Covid-19, the last three years have seen tectonic changes take place in the way we live,
work and pray. The way forward remains unclear, and we are suffering historic low levels of trust in
many institutions, but especially political parties. That’s why we must find true North by returning
to teaching that prioritises the vulnerable, that speaks truth to power, that recognises we are all
made in the image and likeness of our God.

We need our values, our call for justice and equity to be heard around the nation during this election
campaign. Let’s walk this path together and remember we are all always called to community, to
solidarity with the powerless, and to love.

If you believe that it would be helpful, would you kindly distribute this Kit to your communities with
an encouragement that it be distributed to parish, social justice and educational groups, discussed in
community and social justice gatherings, and shared with friends.

This election kit is the collaboration of a number of organisations that worked on the 150 Days of
Action Campaign. It covers a range of issues to be considered in the lead up to the federal election
2022 including refugees and people seeking asylum, but not all issues could be addressed.

To access the Election Kit, please click on one of the links below.

Election Kit 2022 (B&W)

Election Kit 2022 (Canva)

Sydney Catholic Archbishop, Anthony Fisher OP, has launched the Archbishop’s Afghan Refugee Appeal. The appeal will raise desperately needed funds and commit the Archdiocese resources of education, health and welfare to Afghan families and individuals fleeing their homeland in the wake of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

In launching the appeal, the Archbishop also recognised that those who make it to Australia will need all the support they can get, so has committed the resources of our Catholic schools, health and welfare agencies to support our Afghan friends when they arrive.

“We are grateful the Morrison government has described its initial commitment to take 3000 friends and allies from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan as a floor and not a ceiling,” Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney said. “We pray that all those who need to flee to safety do make it out of the country before all avenues are closed and do find a safe haven.

“We have all watched over the last few weeks as the situation in Afghanistan and around Kabul collapsed into total chaos,” said Fr Peter Smith, Promoter of Peace and Justice, Sydney Archdiocese. “And all of us have had the same thought, ‘what can I do to help?’”

After being inundated with request of people across the Catholic community offering to help Fr. Peter Smith is pleased that the Archbishop’s Afghan Refugee Appeal offers something people can do right how. The Justice and Peace Office will work to ensure the money gets to those who need as quickly and directly as possible, concluded Fr Peter Smith.

The full media release can be read here.

Donations can be made here: Archbishop’s Afghan Refugee Appeal

For a PDF about the Archbishop’s Afghan Refugee Appeal, click here.

Catholics for Refugees Supports the Christians United for Afghanistan Campaign.

As the crisis in Afghanistan unfolds, Christians from across the Church, alongside a wider public movement, are being moved to speak boldly to our national leaders to provide urgent action for the well being of refugees from Afghanistan.

A CALL TO: WELCOME REFUGEES FROM AFGHANISTAN

The Holy Father, Pope Francis, has declared 2021 to be the year of St. Joseph, who was himself a refugee and along with Mother Mary the guardians of Jesus as a refugee child. This year is an opportunity for all of us to celebrate and reflect on St. Joseph, described by Pope Francis in his apostolic letter which instituted the year, Patris corde (“With a Father’s Heart”), as a beloved father, a father who is creatively courageous, a father in the shadows.

In this letter, Pope Francis specifically names St. Joseph as “the special patron of all those forced to leave their native lands because of war, hatred, persecution and poverty.” Since then, Pope Francis has also added to St. Joseph’s titles that of “Patron of Refugees”.

The timing of such a declaration is critical because, after two decades, it is clear that Australia’s treatment of those who come to us seeking protection needs to change. For the past twenty years, refugees and people seeking asylum in Australia have experienced inhumane and cruel treatment.

We need to re-imagine what it would be like to come to a place like Australia and find the way to safety barred – to find a toxic political atmosphere that describes our children, our mums and dads as “illegals” and “queue-jumpers” as those trying to manipulate the charity of Australia. Australia needs a new heart, a new way to and show mercy. We think there is an opportunity to engage across all our communities, religious, schools, parishes and workplaces to become active in a new way to advocate with those who come seeking our protection.

To honour and acknowledge this special time in the year of St. Joseph and his role as the Patron of Refugees, a coalition, led by the Sisters of St. Joseph and the Justice and Peace Office of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, has come together to initiate 150 days of action across Australia, to engage with people of good will, and advocate to change our country’s attitude and policies towards those seeking protection in Australia. As part of the campaign and in the name of St. Joseph the Refugee, we robustly exhort the Federal Government to:

1. To provide income support and a financial safety net for all people seeking asylum in Australia
2. To end temporary protection visas and create a clear pathway to permanent residency
3. To ensure access to family reunion for refugees and people seeking asylum in Australia

This campaign began on 1 May 2021, the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker and will conclude with a Day of Lamentation and Call on Sunday 26th September 2021, the World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

We hope that you will be part of these 150 days of action as they develop in coming months.
Resources are available under the Resources Tab.

For more information please contact: [email protected] or [email protected] or [email protected].

Please sign the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/federal-government-we-won-t-leave-anyone-in-our-community-behind-during-covid-19-pandemic

As the pandemic tightens its grip it is clear that thousands of temporary visa holders, including people seeking protection, are suffering deeply and need our help.

After arriving in Australia seeking protection with his wife and 7 year old daughter in 2019, Niraj was thrilled to get a job at a restaurant in regional NSW and his family moved there to start a new chapter. Then on 25 March 2020 he was told the restaurant was closing and he would no longer have work. On 31 March their rent of $350 was due, but they only had $40 in savings and couldn’t pay it. Now Niraj doesn’t know where his family can go next and is hoping his landlord will delay the rental payment to give him time to find a new job or lend some money.

There are hundreds of thousands of others like Niraj in the Australian community who are losing their jobs. They don’t have access to a financial safety net or Medicare. Many cannot return home.

People like Niraj and his family live in our neighbourhoods, work in our restaurants and factories, pray in our churches, synagogues and mosques, study in our schools and universities and pay tax.

We cannot not leave them homeless, hungry, and sick. Protection from this virus for all of us, demands we all have access to the protection of a safe home, a safety net and Medicare. Either we are all protected or we are all vulnerable – that’s the nature of a pandemic.

We call on the Federal and State governments to extend a vital safety net – financial support, Medicare, and adequate shelter – to everyone in need within the Australian community, regardless of their visa status, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The only way we will make it through this pandemic is to ensure every single woman, child, and man living in our community has the protection they need. Together, we call for everyone in our community, including people seeking protection, to have access to a safety net, Medicare, and shelter during this frightening time.

My health depends on your health and all of those in the community, sign this petition to call on the government to make sure we can protect each other today. We will beat this pandemic if we ensure no one is left behind. We are a wealthy nation and a compassionate, smart community – we can do this together.

Please sign the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/federal-government-we-won-t-leave-anyone-in-our-community-behind-during-covid-19-pandemic