Professor Desmond Cahill, Chair, Religions for Peace Australia, delivered the Annual Report for Religions for Peace Australia in Canberra on 25 June 2018. The report is given below.
RfPA
Australia: Proposal to replace the parliamentary prayer with an invitation to prayer or reflection
On 27 June 2018, the Senate referred the following matter (proposal to replace the parliamentary prayer with an invitation to prayer or reflection) related to the Senate Standing Committee on Procedure for inquiry and report by 22 August 2018.
National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse
The Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP, will deliver a National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse on Monday, 22 October 2018.
The Australian Government’s decision to deliver this National Apology follows the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse releasing its final report in December 2017.
Grand Mufti of Australia Mufti passes away
The Grand Mufti of Australia, Sheikh Abdel Aziem Al-Afifi, has died in Melbourne after being elected to the role only four months ago. He is being remembered as a leader committed to working with the nation’s youth.
National: Health and Integrity in Church and Ministry
Health and Integrity in Church and Ministry is a conference focussed on an ecumenical conversation on the task of rebuilding and renewal after the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The Conference will take place at the Melbourne City Conference Centre, over three days, commencing 27 August.
Victoria: Australian Meditation Conference
Presented by the Meditation Association of Australia, the Australian Meditation Conference provides a platform for collaborative dialogue between a wide range of speakers interested in the philosophies and applications of meditation, mindfulness, contemplation and reflection. The conference will take place at the Melbourne Campus of Australian Catholic University from 20-22 July 2018.
Victoria: Annual Sr. Shirley Sedawie Oration
The Council of Christians and Jews (Vic) presents the Annual Sr. Shirley Sedawie Oration, which will be delivered by the Rev. Dr Michael Trainor on the topic of The Contribution of Jewish-Christian Dialogue in a World of Fundamentalism and Political Extremism at the Temple Beth Israel, East St Kilda, on Sunday 5th of August.
Queensland: Self-styled Baptist pastor to be deported after ‘harassing’ worshippers
A self-styled Christian Baptist pastor from New Zealand accused of harassing worshippers at two Brisbane mosques earlier this week has had his visa cancelled and is facing deportation.
New Zealand national Logan Robertson, 31, and two others were charged on Friday after allegedly abusing community members at the Kuraby and Darra mosques on Wednesday and Thursday.
Queensland: Muslims abused as men invade Brisbane mosque
Islamic leaders say rightwing extremists are behind an offensive act of intimidation at a Brisbane mosque, where a teenager was called a terrorist and Islam a cult.
A group of men went to the Kuraby mosque in southern Brisbane on Wednesday, and abused and threatened worshippers after asking to be let inside to film what was going on, the Islamic Council of Queensland said.
NAIDOC Week 2018
NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life. The week is a great opportunity to participate in a range of activities and to support your local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week and its acronym has since become the name of the week itself. In 2018, NAIDOC Week will be observed from nationally from Sunday 8 July and continue through to Sunday 15 July. The theme of the 2018 NAIDOC Week is Because of Her, We Can!
Senate inquiry into dowry abuse in Australia to probe ‘devastating’ impacts on women
A Senate inquiry into the nature and prevalence of dowry abuse in Australia will examine its “devastating impacts” on women in Hindu and Sikh communities amid growing concerns about a recent significant increase in dowry-related domestic violence, murders and suicides.
The inquiry will for the first time assess the adequacy of Australia’s family law system and migration law system in addressing dowry abuse after an ABC News investigation found the cultural practice had resulted in a spate of horrific deaths in the past decade following a wave of migration from the Indian sub-continent.
Senate Inquiry: The practice of dowry and the incidence of dowry abuse in Australia
On 26 June 2018, the Senate referred the practice of dowry and the incidence of dowry abuse in Australia to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee for inquiry and report by 6 December 2018. The terms of reference are outlined on this page below. The deadline for submissions to this inquiry is 17 August 2018.
