Religions for Peace Australia conducted the 2024 Annual General Meeting in Canberra on 12 June, 2024. Guest Speaker at the Annual General Meeting was Ms. Anthea Hancocks of the Scanlon Foundation. The Scanlon Foundation in collaboration with Monash University produces the annual Scanlon-Monash Index of Social Cohesion, an important document, which, since inception in 2007, has mapped the measures of Belonging, Worth, Participation, Acceptance and Rejection and Social Justice and Equity in Australia. Ms Anthea Hancocks delivered an address on Social Cohesion and Faith Communities.
- respect religious diversity and seek to honour the identity and community of each religious tradition and their authentic spiritual principles.
- leverage the existing spiritual, moral and social assets of the world’s religious communities to act on deeply held and widely shared values.
- build and/or strengthen representative, sustainable multi-religious mechanisms, co-owned by religious institutions and communities.
- partner local, national, regional, and global multi-religious structures, with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental civil society actors.
Ms. Anthea Hacocks is the CEO of the Scanlon Foundation and the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute. She has an extensive background in strategic planning, business development, community service, education, communications, and relationship and services marketing through senior leadership experience in private, ASX listed, government, professional services, academia and not for profit organisations here and in the US. Anthea is Chair of Welcoming Australia, Chair of the Monash Migration and Inclusion Centre, a Fellow of Monash University and Chair of the Huddle Advisory Committee and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
The Scanlon-Monash Index of Social Cohesion (SMI) shows how Australia ranks according to five key indicators of social cohesion: belonging, worth, social justice, participation and acceptance.
What are the five indicators of social cohesion?
The five domains of social cohesion are:
- Belonging: Indication of pride in the Australian way of life and culture; sense of belonging; importance of maintaining Australian way of life and culture.
- Worth: Satisfaction with present financial situation and indication of happiness over the last year.
- Social justice and equity: Views on the adequacy of financial support for people on low incomes; the gap between high and low incomes; Australia as a land of economic opportunity; trust in the Australian government.
- Participation (political): Voted in an election; signed a petition; contacted a Member of Parliament; participated in a boycott; attended a protest.
- Acceptance and rejection, legitimacy: The scale measures rejection, indicated by negative view of immigration from many different countries; reported experience of discrimination in the last 12 months; disagreement with government support to ethnic minorities for maintenance of customs and traditions; feeling that life in three or four years will be worse.
Presenation by Ms Anthea Hancocks
