NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee) Week is an Australian observance lasting from the first Sunday in July until the following Sunday. NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.[2] The week is celebrated not just in the Indigenous communities but also in increasing numbers of government agencies, schools, local councils and workplaces. In 2016, Naidoc Week will run from Sunday, 3 July until Sunday, 10 July 2016.
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Victoria: Update on Parliamentary Inquiry into End of Life Choices
Following last month’s release of the final report of the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into End of Life Choices, the Victorian Government has released a position paper Simplifying medical treatment decision making and advance care planning. The position paper explains new legislation the Government is developing on substitute decision making and advance care planning. The legislation’s … Read more
NSW: Interfaith gathering builds harmony
Maha Abdo OAM, head of the Muslim Women’s association and human rights and social justice advocate, gave a moving keynote speech about interfaith dialogue and engaging heart to heart in dialogue with each other. Maha asked guests to reflect on what is in their heart in the final days of Ramadan and their purpose of “being here tonight breaking their fast” at the annual Uniting Church Synod of NSW and the ACT and Affinity Intercultural Foundation joint Iftar Dinner
Victoria: Premier visits Mosque
The Victorian Premier the Hon. Daniel Andrews visited the Emir Sultan Mosque (Dandenong Mosque) at Friday Prayers on Friday 24th June 2016, as he had committed to visiting a Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan, coming immediately after the Premiers Iftar on 15th June.
WA: Perth mosque attack
Muslim leaders are shocked over a fire bombing outside a Perth mosque but say the hate crime will not stop people going about their everyday lives. A suspected petrol bomb exploded outside the Thornlie Mosque in Perth’s south as hundred of worshippers attended a prayer service on Tuesday night but no one was injured when the four-wheel-drive exploded.
Victoria: Islamic Committee for Climate Change
You are invited to submit expression of interest to join ICV’s Committee for Climate Change and Sustainability education. The committee will develop an action plan to initiate a climate change and energy sustainability knowledge campaign among the Muslim community of Australia to empower them.
Victoria: At Kirribilli House with the PM
Islamic Council of Victoria President Bayram Aktepe noted “It was a noteworthy first for the Australian Muslim community, and what a first for our nation at large. We also believe it is sends an important message to the World, that the leaders of Australia are driving an agenda of multicultural harmony by respecting and sharing in the rich tapestry of our community”.
Melbourne: SEA of FAITH in AUSTRALIA (SoFiA)
The SoFiA Network promotes the open exploration of religion, spirituality and meaning. ‘Sea of Faith’ is not a church, but a network of people who are seeking a radical reappraisal of past religious traditions in order to meet today’s spiritual challenges. The Network affirms the continuing importance of religious thought and practice even though it acknowledges that religion, like art and poetry, is a purely human creation.
NSW: Uniting Church expresses support for Newcastle Mosque
The Hunter Presbytery of the Uniting Church in Australia as well as individual congregations and church members, have written letters in support of plans for a new mosque in Newcastle. The long-held trust and friendship between the region’s Christian and Muslim communities has provided a point of difference to anti-Islamic rhetoric surrounding the proposal. Read the letter from Hunter Presbytery to Cessnock Council in support of the mosque application.
Prime Minister holds national Iftar in Sydney
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull hosted a Ramadan Iftar on Thursday evening 16 June at Kirribilli House, Sydney, a first by an Australian Prime Minister. The invited guests included Muslim leaders and young activists from all states as well as interfaith representatives from Sydney. Mr Turnbull greeted Muslims saying, “I am honoured to be the first Australian Prime Minister to host an Iftar during the holy month of Ramadan. To the approximately five hundred thousand Muslim Australians across our country and to more than one and half billion Muslims around the world, Ramadan Kareem.”
Victoria: End of Life Choices Inquiry
The Legal and Social Issues Committee of the Victorian Government tabled its final report on the End of Life Choices Inquiry in Parliament on June 9th. The 440 page report conveys the complexity of the issues under consideration.
Prime Minister and NSW Premier attend Orlando Memorial Service
Leaders have attended what the Prime Minister called a ‘loving’ commemoration service for victims of the Orlando massacre. Malcolm Turnbull and his wife Lucy took time out from the election trail while Premier Baird, the NSW Governor David Hurley and the American Consul General, Hugo Llorens sat in the front row during the service led by the Dean of Sydney, Kanishka Raffel. Opposition leader Bill Shorten was represented by Senator Doug Cameron.
