Fifth Sunday of Easter

For my ancestors, spirituality was a matter of thinking globally and acting locally. The visionary wisdom of indigenous people looks out into the vastness of time and space. And yet, as mystical as they may be, indigenous traditions are rooted deeply into a particular place with a particular people. They are local and they are daily – that transformative context where the sacred becomes a way of life.

Steven Charleston, Native American Elder and Episcopalian Bishop

The 2024 Australian Association for Pacific Studies (AAPS) Epeli Hau’ofa Annual Memorial lecture “The Ocean Is Us” which The Edmund Rice Centre co-hosted at the Australian Museum was delivered by Rev. James Shri Bhagwan and you can now watch Rev. Bhagwan's inspiring address.

On 27 March 2024, the Australian government hastily introduced the Migration Amendment (Removal and Other Measures) Bill 2024 (the Bill) to Parliament. The Bill raises significant human rights concerns, particularly regarding Australia’s obligations under the Refugee Convention and its protocols. The Bill primarily targets non-citizens, including holders of Bridging (Removal Pending) visas, Bridging (General) visas and potentially other non-citizens as specified in the Bill Regulations. Failure to comply with a removal direction could result in mandatory imprisonment between 1 and 5 years, significant fines or both, without consideration given to the risk of persecution or other serious potential harm associated with removal from Australia. The Edmund Rice Centre for Justice and Community Education strongly opposes the Bill and in the submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee, recommends it does not proceed to become legislation.

Click here to download our submission to the Senate Committee.