Pacific Elders have responded to the latest climate science report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), stating that it spells a dire, but not unavoidable, future for Pacific nations.

The most comprehensive review of climate impacts and adaptation ever conducted confirms that human-induced climate change is driving widespread damages to nature and people, exposing human societies and the natural world to intolerable and irreversible risks, including killing people, damaging food production and livelihoods and destroying nature.

On the eve of what is widely celebrated as “Australia Day”, the Edmund Rice Centre has released a Statement calling for 26 January to become a day of reflection, compassion and liberation.

On 26 January 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip raised the Union Jack and proclaimed British sovereignty over the eastern part of the Australian continent.

Settlement Cities: A Place-based Look at Humanitarian Settlement in Australia

New joint study to explore the achievements of refugee settlement across Australian major cities

CULTURAL diversity is central to the Australian national identity but little research has been done to explore trends across the largest destination areas for refugees who have settled in Australia.

Now, a joint project, Settlement Cities: A Place-based Look at Humanitarian Settlement in Australia, initiated by the Edmund Rice Centre for Justice and Community Education aims to undertake the first in-depth look at refugee settlement through the lens of Australia’s major settlement cities.

Pacific Islanders in Australia and overseas have cautiously welcomed the Morrison Government’s commitment to net zero climate pollution by 2050. However, they also believe that without a firm plan for more immediate action by 2030, Australia is unlikely to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. 

The Edmund Rice Centre's free publication Asylum Seekers and Refugees Education Resource June 2020 Edition provides activities for students which are practical, engaging and focused on increasing awareness about human rights and advocacy.

Students are encouraged to think about asylum seekers and refugees with compassion, to move their understanding from the head to the heart.

Download here.