CHRISTMAS stockings are going to be bare for a lot of families this year as more than a million Australians were expected to be unemployed by December. The Australian Government warned unemployment was expected to peak at 9.25 per cent – that’s another 240,000 people out of work. With a deepening economic crisis came a worsening participation rate, which meant ... Read More »
MOUNT Isa parish priest Fr Mick Lowcock is a Queensland Great. But most people already knew that. For some it was because of his ministry achievements like accompanying young people to World Youth Day, for others it was his social work supporting employment opportunities in Indigenous communities, and for everyone else it was just how far he travelled to bring ... Read More »
A JOB, a home, a stable family life – it was the promise of “wealth for toil” that gave hope to so many new arrivals to Australia, but for tens of thousands of them, those hopes were dashed in a matter of weeks by sweeping job cuts in the wake of the pandemic. It was unlikely they would find jobs ... Read More »
LIKE many young men his age, Patrick Grieshaber is at the point of tearing his hair out over the Brisbane Broncos’ form struggle. “I’m even thinking of putting on a jumper myself …,” the 22-year-old said, indicating his frustration at seeing the champion National Rugby League club outside the top eight after 10 rounds. Patrick, like many young men his ... Read More »
‘It’s impossible to look for paid work if you’re homeless and hungry’ AUSTRALIA faces a wage crisis with low paid workers and their families in danger of falling into poverty, according to the chairman of the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, Parramatta Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen. In his annual pastoral letter for the Feast of St Joseph the Worker ... Read More »
BUSH Sister of Charity Christine Henry believes prolonged drought is one reason outback Queensland has been identified as easily Australia’s worst youth unemployment hotspot. A report by the anti-poverty group The Brotherhood of St Laurence has analysed Australian Bureau of Statistics data to find youth unemployment at its extreme – 67.1 per cent – in a thinly populated but vast ... Read More »
FOR Gold Coast retail worker Rachel Spackman, the whole issue of weekend penalty rates has a lot to do with religion. The 19-year-old Catholic is a full-time student and works casually up to 15 hours a week. She tries not to work on Sundays. “It’s a juggle because I like to go to 9am Mass,” the Merrimac student, who works ... Read More »
ROCKHAMPTON Bishop Michael McCarthy has spoken out in support of hundreds of Aurizon workers told they would lose their jobs with the closure of the city’s railway workshops. “I stand with the workers,” Bishop McCarthy said. “Workers who support families, have bills to pay, support our local businesses and are an integral part of our central Queensland family. “The workers ... Read More »
UNIONS, churches and even some businesses have joined a chorus of concern against the recent decision to reduce weekend penalty rates. While unions are planning an ongoing campaign of industrial action, Catholic Religious Australia is concerned that the Fair Work Commission’s decision will increase inequity and hurt the most vulnerable people – the young, women and students. “As politicians claim ... Read More »
The Catholic Leader Keeping Faith with You
