Human Rights & the NT Intervention

The following podcast features a lecture delivered by The Honourable Alastair Nicholson, titled “Human Rights & the NT Intervention”. The talk was presented to Social Policy Connections on Wednesday December 1st at the Study Centre of Yarra Theological Union.

If you would like attend one of our events please refer to our website www.social policyconnections.org.au. Please feel free to subscribe to our podcast via itunes or via an RSS feed located on our website’s home page, as we will be publishing podcasts regularly, free of charge.

Northern Territory Intervention, introduced in 2007, causes great anger, frustration and despondency amongst the majority of Aboriginal people in the NT. The intervention required the suspension of the Racial Discrimination Act (RDA). Alastair Nicholson has been at the forefront of fighting to change the legislation to ensure full restoration of the RDA. In his talk, he provided more details about this issue, and how all concerned with Aboriginal wellbeing might respond.

The Honourable Alastair Nicholson AO, RFD, QC is the Former Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia. He is an Honorary Professorial Fellow at the Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne.

Mandatory detention and release of children

Welcome to the Social Policy Connections audio podcast.

The following podcast features a lecture delivered by Phill Glendining. The talk was presented to Social Policy Connections on Thursday November 4th at the Study Centre of Yarra Theological Union.

If you would like attend one of our events please refer to our website www.social policyconnections.com.au. Please feel free to subscribe to our podcast via itunes or via an RSS feed located on our website’s home page, as we will be publishing podcasts regularly, free of charge.

Phil is the director of the Edmund Rice Centre. He was one of the co-founders of Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR) and for ten years was National President. He has served on the Boards of the Australian Council for Social Service (ACOSS), various committees of the Australian Council for Overseas Aid, and the Centre for an Ethical Society. He is a current Board Member of the Refugee Council of Australia, and ANTaR.

In 1998 Phil was recognised by the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) with the Sir Ronald Wilson Award for Human Rights, and in 2007 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Australian Catholic University.

In recent years Phil led the Edmund Rice Centre's research team for the Deported To Danger series which monitored the safety of rejected asylum seekers in 22 countries, and resulted in an internationally screened documentary, A Well Founded Fear. With a background in education and political science, today he is primarily involved in human rights education, peace and reconciliation work and advocacy on climate change in Australia and internationally.

Receiving asylum seekers

The following podcast features a lecture delivered by Caz Coleman. Caz drew from the findings of her recently published research project “Australia’s Hidden Homeess”, to discuss alternatives to current ways of receiving asylum seekers. The talk was presented to Social Policy Connections on Wednesday August 12 at the Study Centre of Yarra Theological Union.

Caz Coleman is Director of the Hotham Mission Asylum Seeker Project, a Melbourne based agency working with asylum seekers living in the community. Caz has worked in the asylum and refugee sector for ten years and has an academic background in Theology. In 2009, Caz was appointed to the Council for Immigration Services and Status Resolution (CISSR) advising the Federal Minister for Immigration, Senator Chris Evans, on asylum issues in Australia.

If you would like attend one of our events please refer to our website www.social policyconnections.com.au. Please feel free to subscribe to our podcast via itunes or via an RSS feed located on our website’s home page, as we will be publishing podcasts regularly, free of charge.

Politics, Religion & Election Issues

The following podcast features a lecture delivered by Professor John Warhurst, titled “Politics, Religion & Election”. The talk was presented to Social Policy Connections on Wednesday 4 August at the Study Centre of Yarra Theological Union.

John Warhurst was born in Adelaide and educated in politics and economics at the Flinders University of South Australia. He has taught political science in various universities for more than 30 years and is now Professor of Political Science at the Australian National University. He is a former president of the Australasian Political Studies Association and now writes a weekly column for The Canberra Times. He is active in public affairs as chair of the Australian Republican Movement.

If you would like attend one of our events please refer to our website www.social policyconnections.com.au. Please feel free to subscribe to our podcast via itunes or via an RSS feed located on our website’s home page, as we will be publishing podcasts regularly, free of charge.

Australia’s relationship with China: prospects and perils

Welcome to the Social Policy Connections audio podcast on the topic of moral implications of Australia’s close economic ties with China.

The following podcast features a discussion between Dr Thomas Bartlett and Dr Paul Rule on Wednesday May 23^rd 2010 in the Study Centre of Yarra Theological Union.

Thomas Bartlett and Paul Rule have been teaching and researching about China in universities in Australia and the United States as well as visiting and living in China through the changes from the Cultural Revolution to the present economic dominance. Both have recently retired from teaching Chinese history at La Trobe University but remain active in research and publications on China. Thomas mainly writes about Qing dynasty history but also has a strong interest in current events in China. Paul specializes in the study of Chinese religion past and present.

If you would like attend one of our events please refer to our website www.social policyconnections.com.au. Please feel free to subscribe to our podcast via itunes or via an RSS feed located on our website’s home page, as we will be publishing podcasts regularly, free of charge.

New Hope for Africa: the churches’ role in peacemaking, development’

Welcome to the Social Policy Connections audio podcast,

The following Social Policy Connections event was held in association with Act for Peace, the international aid agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia, on Saturday April 19 2010, at Study Centre of Yarra Theological Union.

Our guest speaker was the Reverend Dr Andre Karamaga, a Rwandan Presbyterian Minister , who lost family during the Rwandan Genocide is General Secretary of, the All African Conference of Churches, which represents 173 churches and Christian organisations from 40 African countries, with 140 million adherents.

Dr Karamaga’s talk was entitled “New Hope for Africa: the churches’ role in peacemaking, development’

If you would like attend one of our events please refer to our website www.social policyconnections.com.au. Please feel free to subscribe to our podcast via itunes or via an RSS feed located on our website’s home page, as we will be publishing podcast regularly, free of charge.

Reflections on Pope Benedict’s encyclical, Caritas in Veritate

The following reflections on Pope Benedict’s encyclical on Human Development,
Caritas in Veritate, were recorded Thursday November 19th 2009 at the Wyselaskie Auditorium.

Our three guest speakers were

The Archbishop Philip Freier, Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne

Julie Edwards
CEO, Jesuit Social Services

Rufus Black
Master of Ormond College

This event was held in conjunction with the Yarra Institute for Religion and Social Policy.