Churches call for 10-year plan against poverty

UnitingCare Australia, Anglicare Australia, Catholic Social Services Australia and the Salvation Army have joined forces to call on the new government to develop a 10 year national plan to overcome poverty and disadvantage.

This call comes at the end of an election campaign that they describe as, at best, ignoring and, at worst, further entrenching the disadvantage of many.

UnitingCare Australia national director Susan Helyar said “our social services know what works and what doesn’t and we are ready and able to work with the Australian Government to ensure investment in disadvantaged and vulnerable families and communities achieves real change”.

Read the full story here at the Uniting Church Victoria and Tasmania Media Room.

Fairwear protests BuxWear

More than 30 students, students, parents, teachers and activists have protested against clothing manufacturer BuxWear for using sweatshop workers in the manufacture of uniforms.

Recent compliance inspections have shown BuxWear, which is not a member of the Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation scheme, is in breech of ethical conditions for 100 outworkers making its garments. The affected workers also do not receive any annual leave, sick leave or superannuation contributions.

BuxWear was prosecuted in 2005 for similar breaches.

For more information, visit www.fairwear.org.au. For media enquiries, contact Michael Docherty at 9251 5222 or 0418 330 483.

Labor promises to extend school chaplaincy program

Victoria’s largest provider of school chaplains, ACCESS ministries, has welcomed Labor’s announcement to extend the National Schools Chaplaincy Program but challenges the Liberals to better Labor’s election promise.

So far, the Liberal Opposition has only guaranteed funding for the scheme until 2014. Recently, Labor announced an extension and expansion of the scheme to $222 million.

Currently, school chaplains are funded by the Federal Government two days a week and must undertake their own fundraising initiatives to cover their salary for other days.

Read the full story here at the Uniting Church Victoria and Tasmania Media Room.

New E-News website launched

The UnitingCare Victoria and Tasmania E-News website has been relaunched – the one-stop shop to find out all information about the network’s agencies.

The new format enables weekly updates on news, current events and links to newsletters and reports.

“I encourage you to contribute as often as you wish. It is often hard to keep in touch with all the fantastic things happening across our agencies.  Through this newsletter we will be able to learn much more about each other’s worlds,” said UCV&T director Charles Gibson.

For submissions, email Andrew.Phillips@victas.unitingcare.org.au. Information received by Wednesday will be considered for publication the following Monday.

A monthly e-mail prompt will be issued to remind subscribers about E-News, contact info@victas.unitingcare.org.au to subscribe.

Pakistan Flood Relief Appeal

More than 1500 people have been killed and 14 million people displaced by Pakistan’s worst flood natural disaster in more than 80 years.

SHARE is calling for donations to aid the enormous recovery efforts through the Pakistan Flood Relief Appeal.

Moderator Isabel Thomas Dobson is also asking congregations to have a special offering on Sunday 22nd August. “We are asking for Uniting Church members to pray for the people affected and to please give generously.”

SHARE donations will be sent to the National Council of Churches in Australia to be distributed through its international relief agency Act for Peace.

Donations can be sent to: SHARE – Pakistan Flood Relief Appeal, GPO Box 4355, Melbourne, Vic 3001, or by phoning SHARE’s toll free number 1800 668 426 or visiting www.shareappeal.org.au