Publications List
Contours and prospects for Indigenous recognition in the Australian Constitution
16 Oct 2015 | Author: Fr Frank Brennan | Theme: Indigenous reconciliation; Civil society and politics
It is a great honour for one who is not a judge to be asked to deliver the AIJA Oration in Judicial Administration. Being the son and grandson of judges and having no prospect of ever being a judge, I am humbled to be at this podium if only briefly this evening under the auspices of the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration. I join with you in paying respects to the Wurundjeri and Boonerwrung peoples of the Kulin nation, the traditional owners of the land on which we meet. In this splendid venue, I join with you in thanking Chief Justice Michael Black who dedicated such energy to ensuring that a court's architecture could speak to people of justice and the rule of law.
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Newstart is not living up to its name
14 Oct 2015 | Author: Toni Hassan | Theme: Civil society and politics; Leadership and institutions
What do multitasking and the low level of Newstart have in common? New research suggests they both do something to our brain, and in Anti-Poverty Week the new Social Services Minister, Christian Porter, ought to pay attention. As our new Prime Minister is fond of telling us, our future is increasingly tied up in technology (when has it not?). It inevitably means more multitasking. These days employers email us at night. We shop for shoes at our desks. We arrange business meetings while at the supermarket. Our children flip between devices while doing their homework. As more and more things fight for our attention our mental bandwidth shrinks.
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Two cheers for the parish
13 Oct 2015 | Author: Fr Scott Cowdell | Theme: Leadership and institutions; The Arts, Sciences and Culture
I’ve been asked to speak about the parish style of Christian community, and its future, because of course parishes face a lot of challenges today. Still, I believe in the parish way of being Church: two cheers for it, I say. I’ll tell you why I think two cheers are appropriate, and what might turn my confidence into a full-throated three cheers. To set the scene for my reflections, let me tell you about a day out that my wife and I had in Houston, Texas, in July, when we visited two very different chapels. I’ll call this first section 'Houston, We Have a Problem'.
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I consume therefore I am
13 Oct 2015 | Author: Toni Hassan | Theme: Civil society and politics; Public theology and ethics
Buying is much more American than thinking, pop artist Andy Warhol once quipped. On last month’s visit to the United States, Catholic Pope Francis, generated an enormous market for ‘things’, both spiritual and commercial. It was thick with irony. While personally devoted to simplicity, Francis unleashed a hunger for products that surpassed what is usually associated with rock tours.
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Open letter to Scott Morrison
09 Oct 2015 | Author: Bishop George Browning | Theme: Civil society and politics; Leadership and institutions
Warmest congratulations on your appointment. Yours is a huge responsibility. However it is one which all must share, as together we seek a fairer more equitable Australia. I am very grateful that you are publicly known for your Christian faith. This places upon you an added and grave responsibility to guide a fiscal policy that self-evidently serves common good, not self interest.
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