THE sacking of Wallaby star Israel Folau has prompted soul-searching questions of religious freedom and expression – far beyond the confines of rugby, “the game they play in heaven”. The thirty-year-old’s $4 million contract was terminated on May 17 after an independent panel found he committed a high-level breach of Rugby Australia’s code of conduct for posting religiously-inspired, anti-gay comments ... Read More »

LOW-income families have not been “sufficiently protected by the decisions in the annual wage reviews”, a Church delegation told the Fair Work Commission on May 15. The Fair Work Act has “failed to provide an adequate wages safety net for low-paid workers with family responsibilities” or “alleviate the poverty and disadvantage suffered by them and their families”. John Fernon and ... Read More »

PRIME Minister Scott Morrison and the Coalition face the major challenge, after the federal election win, of helping three million Australians living in poverty, the St Vincent de Paul Society says.  The Coalition will form government after an upset election win on May 18. Despite all major media polls unanimously favouring Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, the Coalition coasted into a ... Read More »

EXCITEMENT is building for the fourth Australian Catholic Youth Festival to be hosted in Perth later this year, where young Catholics from across the country will gather for three days of faith, friendship and formation. Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe invited all young people to have the courage to say “Yes” to this invitation to ACYF.  “It will be a powerful ... Read More »

IN just a few weeks’ time the people of Victoria will wake up in a brave new world in which state-subsidised suicide and doctor-affected dying are lawfully practised, despite every other statute in the law book upholding a completely different rule: “thou shalt not kill”. Likewise in Queensland an inquiry is underway to consider following the Victorian Government’s example. The ... Read More »

TRIBUTES are flowing for Les Murray, celebrated Australian poet, larrikin and Catholic, who died this week leaving a world-recognised literary legacy.  Leslie Allan Murray (pictured), known as the Bush Bard of Bunyah, died in Taree on the NSW Mid North Coast on April 28, aged 80.  Bunyah is where he grew up on a poor dairy farm, and it is ... Read More »

AS party leaders face the cameras, flitting from one battleground seat to another, and trying to win over middle Australia ahead of the May 18 federal poll, the Catholic bishops’ social services advisory body has reminded politicians Australia needs “a culture of inclusion, support and equality”. “A nation’s success is not measured by the wealth of a few, but by ... Read More »

THE Australian Catholic Women’s Colloquium, was held in Adelaide from February 22–24.  160 women from across Australia attended the conference, titled ‘Stirring the Waters’, that was convened by the Council for Australian Catholic Women. In this story, Andrea Dean, Director of the National Office for the Participation of Women, shares some insights about the Colloquium. The role of the Council for Australian Catholic ... Read More »

A SUBMISSION by Queensland’s six Catholic bishops calling for the protection of human dignity is among hundreds received by a parliamentary inquiry considering end-of-life issues including voluntary assisted dying laws. “A law that would allow direct intentional killing (“voluntary assisted dying”), even if only under strict circumstances, opens the way to a culture in which life is disposable,” the bishops ... Read More »