Tasmania: March/April 2017

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Greetings of peace! In April, the Religions for Peace gathering will be a Silence meditation to honour Earth Day Saturday 22 April 2017 3.00-4.00pm at Kris’ property 94 Morphetts Rd, Neika.  Come and join us and people from the other 192 countries around the world in sending vibrations of peace and healing to the Earth and all living creatures.   

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Inspiring Earth Ethics: Linking Values and Action

Australian Earth Laws Alliance invites you to join for a thought provoking two day conference in Brisbane, on Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th November 2017 at the Griffith Centre for Interfaith and Cultural Dialogue. This conference will bring together people from a range of fields – including environmental education, ethics, environmental psychology, indigenous knowledge systems, the arts, deep ecology, science, business and law – to address a central question: how do we inspire and build Earth ethics in Australian society?

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Amendments to Racial Discrimination Act – 18c


The Executive Council of Australian Jewry in collaboration with the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, the United Indian Association, Australian Hellenic Council, Chinese Australian Services Society, the Arab Council of Australia and the Armenian National Committee of Australia, have issued a joint media statment expressing disappointment at the announcement by the Federal government of its intention to amend section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.

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Government, Leaders and Faith in Australian Politics

World Interfaith Harmony WeekOn the occasion of World Interfaith Harmony Week, Parliamentary Friends of Multiculturalism in Partnership with the Canberra Interfaith Forum and Religions for Peace Australia commemorated UN Harmony Day on the Topic of Government, Leaders and Faith in Australian Politics at Australian Parliament House Canberra, on Wednesday 15 February 2017. Guest Speaker for the occasion was Emeritus Professor John Warhurst of Australian National University.

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A Commonwealth of Peace

World Interfaith Harmony Week

On the occasion of World Interfaith Harmony Week, Parliamentary Friends of Multiculturalism in Partnership with the Canberra Interfaith Forum and Religions for Peace Australia commemorated UN Harmony Day at Australian Parliament House Canberra, on Wednesday 15 February 2017. Speaker for the Canberra Interfaith Forum was Dean Sahu Khan, President of Canberra Interfaith Forum.

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Royal Commission: Justice for Victims Part 1

Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual AbuseReligions and faith systems have social justice as a pivotal centre from which many activities in a faith community arise therefrom and become part of the active compassion taken up by that faith system or religion in society and culture. In examining justice for victims of sexual abuse in institutions, the Royal Commission is required to respond to the directive of the Federal Executive and the Parliament “what institutions and governments should do to address, or alleviate the impact of, past and future sexual abuse and related matters in institutional contexts, including, in particular, in ensuring justice for victims through … processes for referral for investigation and prosecution“.

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Victoria: Clergy need diversity training for the new era

Prof. Gary BoumaClergy of all faiths urgently needed cultural training to deal with an Australia that had changed beyond recognition since the 1990s, according to one of Australia’s leading religious authorities. Melbourne Anglican priest, UNESCO officer and university academic Gary Bouma told a UN Interfaith Harmony Week lecture at Melbourne University in February that Australia was now “one of the most diverse nations in the world”.

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South Australia: Spiritual Harmony Day

The Multifaith Association of South Australia in collaboration with Adelaide Theosophical Society will conduct a joint Spiritual Harmony Day celebration at the on Sunday 19 March 2pm – 5pm. The celebration will take place at 310 South Terrace, Adelaide. This event is offered in collaboration with Harmony Week. There will be a Q & A … Read more

Queensland: Tensions over new Islamic centre in Gladstone fuelled by ‘unreal fears’

COMMUNITY tensions over plans to build an Islamic centre in Gladstone are fuelled by “unreal fears”, a Church expert on Christian-Muslim relations says. Sydney’s Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations co-ordinator of Columban Father Patrick McInerney is regularly called upon to address religious and cultural concerns that increasingly confront Australian towns and city communities. In Gladstone, anti-Muslim sentiments are being voiced after the Islamic Society of Gladstone lodged a development application to build a worship centre.

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Child sexual abuse royal commission: What’s happened and when is it due to finish?


The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has come a long way since it first began hearings in April 2013. Since then, it’s made almost 2,000 referrals to authorities, held more than 6,500 private sessions, and handled almost 40,000 phone calls. But with so much ground to cover, where is it up to now and what’s left to go?

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