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Hope lies in our courageous and sober confidence in the Spirit’s power to bring all that is God’s to fullness. In the spaces where fragile human hearts meet the Love and Truth that alone overcomes all alienation, there is the hope for a different kind of history, a different kind of humanity. Reclaiming Hope, Recovering Dialogue Colleen Malton Easter gifts us with the Hope that leads us to stand with God as we face the fragility and pain of Earth and its peoples. This issue invites us to reflect on some of this fragility and what people are saying and doing as they hope and work for a different kind of history. Anne Shay, Peta Anne Molloy

Australian Society of Presentation Sisters

Autumn 2012

Volume 5, Issue 1

Justice Contacts’ Meeting 26-29 March

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we live. We

acknowledge their deep spiritual connections to this land and we thank

them for the care they have shown to Earth over thousands of years.

Our Actions Include:

20-22 June 2012

"The Future We Want - Zero Draft Document"

This is the document which is being used as the basis for all the discussion b y a l l p a r t i e s (NGOs a nd Governments) prior to Rio+20. It was compiled by the Secretary General of Rio+20, from suggestions made by Governments and Civil Society from around the world. You can find it at http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/mgzerodraft.html

We believe that the only way for humankind to survive on our planet home is to develop another system, with another relationship with nature. The values of the Earth Charter are not to be overlooked.

cf IPA Submission Joan Power pbvm

Thank You to global Presentation People who engaged in the process: Prepare now for Rio+20 in 2011. The IPA submission to the document was based on your contributions.

IPA Submission to the Rio+20 Compilation Document

Inside this issue: IPA Submission to Rio+20 Justice Contacts’ Meeting 1 Exploitation of Peoples and of the Earth 2-3 Reconciliation - there are more bridges to cross 4

The care of the earth and concern for the most vulnerable in our world should dominate the discussion at the Rio+20 Conference.

Too often the priority is on economic gain and a materialistic philosophy to the detri-ment of the impact on the environment and society. Emphasis on the ‘market’ and promotion of jobs through a supposed ‘trickle down’ effect has done little to alleviate poverty and the destruction of the Earth.

The Australian IPA Justice Contacts met at Manly, Qld. One

of our tasks was to prepare our Report for the IPA Assembly

to be held in September in Canada. We planned action re the

current exploitation of peoples and Earth in Australia.

Front: Lynne Crilley, Majella Kelly, Joan Power, Mary Walsh,

Anne Shay. Back: Joan Kennedy, Lucy Van Kessel, Peta Anne

Molloy

1. Letter Writing:

Asylum Seekers - Minister Chris Bowen and

Senator Sarah Hanson-Young;

Impact of rising sea levels on Torres Strait

Islands: Federal Government and Premier Campbell

Newman;

Stronger Futures Legislation: Senators.

2. Monitor and participate in local action to support

water security and the productivity of farming land.

Page 2 Just ice Jott ings Vo lume 5, I ssue 1

Exploitation of Peoples ...

seekers reached Yemen by boat. ''It is very difficult for me as High Commissioner, who has to deal with the whole world, to be convinced that 6000 is a very important problem,'' Mr Guterres said of Christmas Island boat arrivals. He called for moral leadership and warned that a populist approach by politicians has led to overblown fears that can

During his February visit to Australia, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, has called Australia's obsession with asylum seekers arriving by boat ''out of proportion''. He called for the ''very politicised'' debate to be conducted in a less divisive manner. Last year 1500 asylum seekers died in the Mediterranean Sea, as 57,000 people reached Malta and Italy by boat. Another 100,000 asylum

quickly lead to words and actions of hatred against foreigners.

In meetings with the Immigration Minister, Chris Bowen, Mr Guterres said he had raised the UNHCR's concerns about Australia's mandatory detention of asylum seekers, the need for faster security assessments by ASIO and the introduction of ''checks and balances'' in the security assessment process.

K.Needham SMH 15/2/12

Asylum Seekers—Two UN Views

Late September 2001 a group of people gathered in Brisbane to hear Richard Towle, regional representative for UNHCR speak on Asylum and Refugee Protection - Looking beyond the domestic debate.

We learnt:

There are at present 15 million refugees on the

move, as well as 25 million more within their

own countries – unable to escape.

In 2010, 12 000 came to Australia seeking asylum;

50% of these came by plane; 80% of the 6000

who came by boat were found to be genuine

refugees.

There are two ways someone can come as a

refugee:

1. Asylum Seekers come to the borders of our

country and ask for asylum. The Refugee

Convention applies them.

Currently 750 000 people need

resettlement .

In 2010, 74 000 places were

available across the whole world.

Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Richard Towle, UN Regional Representative for UNHCR

2. People in refugee camps are

offered Resettlement. They need

resettlement because:

- they can’t go home to war or other

traumatic conditions

- they can’t stay in the camps because

they are in a fragile situation.

Asylum Seekers - Is There a Just Solution?

As a former boat person, I cringe and shudder with revulsion every time I hear the mantra of “Stop the boats!” It is as if we are going to be swamped by these undesirable elements who are going to take our jobs, threaten our security and put our future at risk.

We, the Vietnamese refugees, have heard it all before and we have proven to all Australians that such a mantra is simply fearmongering and demeaning to our great nation.

Ever since the convict era and perhaps ever since the dream time of the Aborigines, the history of this country has been about the victory of the downtrodden, the triumph of t h e h u m a n s p i r i t . I am convinced that Australia is what it is today because our nation dares to welcome the unwelcomed; we dare to afford the privilege of o p p o r t u n i t y t o t h e underprivileged and a “fair go to the underdog”.

Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguen. 2011 Rerum Novarum Lecture

Bishop Long Van Nguyen

Page 3 Just ice Jott ings Vo lume 5, I ssue 1

… and of the Earth

Opening the Door to Extend Uranium Mining

Our concerns include:

• Overturning a 26-year ban on uranium exploration in NSW exposes our local communities and environment to serious pollution risks and a persistent legacy of toxic waste.

• Existing uranium mines in South Australia and the Northern Territory have a well documented history of leaks, safety breaches and failed rehabilitation.

• There is no bipartisan support or mandate for the O'Farrell government to support uranium mining.

• Renewable energy such as wind power enjoys broad public support, helps to build a strong economy and ensures a clean and safe future for NSW. Pepe Clarke (Chief Executive Officer, Nature Conservation Council of NSW)

Did You Know?Did You Know?Did You Know?Did You Know?

There is what is known as a

'floating island' of debris in the

North Pacific that swirls around

where all the currents meet? It is

the size of two Australias. The

plastic debris in the ocean has

reached a point where getting rid

of it all together is impossible

because it has too much impact

on plankton which provides

much of our oxygen -- the best

we can hope for is to stem the

flow of new plastic entering our

waterways.

be h i n d a l e g a c y o f radioactive mine waste.

Rather than encouraging the renewable energy industry, the NSW Government will leave the state with a legacy of radioactive mine waste and serious pollution risks to local communities and the environment.

Less than one year after the tragic nuclear disaster at Fukushima in Japan, New South Wales Premier O'Farrell has announced plans to overturn a 26 year-old ban on uranium exploration in NSW.

This move will open the door to a dangerous industry that consumes enormous volumes of water, contaminates groundwater and leaves

If it really was a floating island of trash, it would be possible for us to go and clean it up, but unfortunately it is more like a plastic soup. Larger plastic items, like bottles, bags, buckets and crates, don’t retain their structure for long, as the sun’s rays beat down and the waves toss them around. They break apart into millions and billions of plastic fragments that then remain in the ocean.

They don’t biodegrade though, that’s the scary part. cf Tim Silverwood ABC Off Track

The idea of the Millennium Consumption Goals (MCGs) idea was proposed in January 2011 for the Rio+20 Earth Summit in June 2012. MCGs provide consumption targets to motivate rich peoples to consume and produce more sustainably in economic, environmental social terms. They thereby improve overall well being, reduce environmental harm, free up resources to alleviate poverty, and ensure intra- and inter-generational equity. MCGs for the affluent would complement the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for the poor.

The suggested MCGs would target:

1. Meeting basic human needs (food, water, energy, shelter, health, education, etc.)

2. Greenhouse gas reduction

3. Energy use ( deals with conservation, fossil fuels, renewable energy, transport, buildings, urban, etc.)

4. Water use - conservation, quality, re-use, etc.

Millennium Consumption Goals (MCGs)

5. Land and biomass use (urban habitats, rural land, buildings, forests, protected areas, agro-ecological zones, biodiversity, etc.) 6. Ores and industrial minerals 7. Construction materials and minerals 8. Pollution and waste (air and water effluents, solid waste, toxic waste and chemicals, etc.)

www.millenniumconsumptiongoals.org/

For several years Reconciliation Queensland has invited people to participate in

a walk through the CBD from Boundary Street in Spring Hill to

Boundary Street West End. This walk, held on or close to Apology Day,

commemorates the fact that Aboriginal Australians were not able to walk

through the Brisbane CBD after dusk.

Join the Journey

Near inner city Brisbane there are several streets named Boundary Street. The origin of this name lies in what was known as the Boundary Street Curfew. In his research on the Boundary Street Curfew in 19th century Brisbane, Brisbane storyteller Daryll Bellingham found: 'From 1840 to 1855 Aborigines moved quite freely around the settlements, but after 1855 Blacks were prohibited from venturing inside Vulture and Boundary Streets after 4 p.m. or on Sundays.' (Harry C. Perry)

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~dbelling/boundary.html

Reconciliation - There are More Bridges to Cross

A significant new annual lecture – the

Gandhi Oration – was launched early

this year. It will be delivered each year

by a person whose life’s work

exemplifies the ideals of Gandhi.

The inaugural speaker was Professor

Patrick Dodson, who has shown great

leadership promoting and fostering

reconciliation between Indigenous

and non-Indigenous Australians.

The Inaugural Gandhi Oration

I believe that racial discrimination should not be tolerated in our society and enshrining this in our constitution would be an act that enhances us all.

But intolerance and the death of racism cannot be built by legislation alone.

To be rid of racism we must reflect on how we treat and view others who are different to us. This, like true reconciliation, must involve a process of engagement based on mutual respect, trust and a deep understanding and commitment to agreed objectives.

4F/9 Redmyre Road

Strathfield NSW 2135

Phone: (02) 9737 5600

Fax: (02) 9739 5656

Email: society@pbvm.org.au

Web: at http://presentationsociety.org.au/

Australian Society of

Presentation Sisters

2010 Preamble to the Constitution of Queensland

The wealth that the nation state of Australia enjoys comes from the exploitation of our land and waters.

In the midst of the mining boom many Aboriginal people are finding immediate relief from poverty by gaining employment in the mining industry.

But I question whether in the long term our participation in unbridled exploitation is not in fact adding to the diminishment of our custodial responsibilities to humanity, global sustainability and resilience.

Excerpts from Patrick Dodson’s Oration

Despite the heat on Sunday 12 February, a large number of people

carried flags and balloons (and water bottles!) through the city. The

walk was followed by a barbecue and concert. Each year the

Aboriginal elders greet the walkers with “Thank you for coming on

the walk.”

Boundary Street Walk