Public statements

Public statements made on behalf of Quakers in Australia would be agreed in a spirit of worship at a gathering of Friends from throughout Australia, either the annual national business meeting, known as Yearly Meeting, or the mid-year gathering of representatives from all states, known as Standing Committee.

For media comments on issues relating to the Quaker testimonies: Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community and Equality, contact in the first instance the AYM office, telephone 07 3374 0135, email YMsecretary@quakers.org.au.

Little children are sacred action

On behalf of Australian Quakers I write to welcome your intention to improve the lives of children in remote communities in the Northern Territory. At the same time we ask that you take the following into account in your plans:

• The report, Little children are sacred, is very well researched and gives many sensible recommendations for responding to sexual abuse. It emphasises the importance of Aboriginal involvement both in decision-making and the implementation of plans.
• Many reports on Aboriginal disadvantage make the point that symptoms cannot be addressed without a comprehensive and long-term approach.
• Aboriginal health workers, interpreters, child protection workers, mental health counsellors, police and doctors have much experience that needs to be drawn upon in any programs of intervention.
• We are aware of claims by Indigenous groups that health and welfare initiatives they have proposed to tackle child abuse have not been adequately funded or supported. We hope the government will ensure that care is taken to give support in areas identified as important by Indigenous groups.
• Some Aboriginal communities rely on the permit system to control access to their land. We hope that you are ensuring that any change to this system is not enabling non-Aboriginal perpetrators of abuse to gain greater access to vulnerable children.
• There is far too little access to appropriate drug and alcohol abuse services in Aboriginal communities. We hope that your intervention is building greater availability to such services.

Same sex: same entitlements

On behalf of Australian Quakers I write to ask that you will act promptly on the recommendations contained in the recently published report, Same sex: same entitlements.

As you will know this report from the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission found that 58 federal laws currently deny to same-sex couples and their children entitlements and benefits available to opposite-sex couples and their children.

This same report found that these laws are discriminatory and that they breach important international agreements such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

We believe that no good purpose is served by this continued discrimination. All couples and their children should be dealt with in the same way by our laws.

This same report recommends that the simple amendment of definitions used in the 58 federal laws will remove the discrimination against same-sex couples and their children that the report has identified. We urge you to act on the report’s recommendation promptly.

I am writing on behalf of Australian Quakers to express our grave concern over the treatment handed out to many people who have sought to make a peaceful and prayerful protest in Zimbabwe.

That women and men protesting peacefully have been seriously physically abused, not only raises deep reservations about the Zimbabwean Government, but suggests that no one in the country can be regarded as safe from maltreatment.

Whilst no nation on Earth has achieved truly good governance in terms of complete respect for all citizens, it is a serious matter of concern that so many citizens of Zimbabwe are treated with disrespect, that reports of human rights abuses are frequent, and that the homes, families and livelihoods of ordinary people are regularly destroyed.

We urge you to convey to your government our profound concern about this matter.

We view the safety, prosperity and wellbeing of all people within Zimbabwe’s borders as the responsibility of your Government.