Let’s quickly release children and families from detention Editorial by Bruce Duncan Prime Minister Gillard’s intention to release from detention children and family groups seeking asylum in Australia is being welcomed by church and community groups, fulfilling a 2007 election promise. Yet many Australians would have been shocked to learn that 738 children were being [...]
Our thanks to the many people who have helped establish Social Policy Connections. We especially acknowledge the financial support from some key Catholic religious orders, most notably the Redemptorist priests and brothers and the Brigidine Sisters of Victoria. A further grant from the Brigidine Sisters’ Education for Justice Project helped fund this website. The Sisters [...]
Social Policy Connections recognises the contribution and expertise of people in the corporate world and business. We especially value the skills and practical know-how of people in the business community, and wish to foster relationships that help bring about improved living conditions for others in Australia and overseas. At SPC we welcome workplace giving, pro-bono support, [...]
by Jeffrey Sachs UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, appointed Sachs to coordinate the very large group of economists working to develop and detail the Millennium Development Goals. Despite the problems with climate change, Sachs argues that the world can still make unprecedented progress in eliminating hunger and the most acute poverty. Click here to read [...]
by leading economists Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes (2008). An astonishing account of the financial consequences of the Iraq War. It raises disturbing questions about political accountability. Review by B. Duncan. Click here to read the full review.
SPC members, Peter Whiting, Bill Frilay, Bruce Duncan and Audra Kunciunas, met on 12 October with Senator Jacinta Collins, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations, and her advisor, John Conlan. We nominated our areas of concern and expressed our wish to work constructively in the evelopment of public policy. We were open to [...]
by Muhammad Yunus, founder of the fabulously successful Grameen Bank , explains how its principles can transform capitalism. Review by B. Please click here to read the full review.
Barack Obama details his vision for renewed social policies in the United States, based more firmly on his aspirations for social justice and the common good, rather than placating powerful special interest groups. In his 2006 book, Audacity of Hope, he reveals how much his views overlap with Christian social thinking. Review by Bruce Duncan. [...]
Asylum seekers arriving by boat make up a tiny percentage of our annual immigration, yet Australia has treated them very harshly. On 12 August 2010 Caz Colman spoke to Social Policy Connections on alternatives to current ways of receiving asylum seekers. Caz is the Director of the Hotham Mission Asylum Seeker Project, a Melbourne-based agency [...]
Professor John Warhurst spoke to SPC on 4 August 2010 about religion and politics in Australian federal elections, including church lobbying, relations with parties and governments, and the role of the faith of political leaders. John Warhurst was born in Adelaide and studied politics and economics at Flinders University in South Australia. He has taught political science in [...]
