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INFORM-A^CTION

Issue Number 40 - October 2001

SAO Enters its Tenth Year

The Social Action Office (SAO) has now entered into its tenth year of operation. In that time it has seen many changes. Governments have come and gone; Hansonism took hold and then waxed and waned and waxed again; national competition policy was foisted onto the people of Australia; deregulation of major industries such as the airline and telecommunications industries occurred; East Timor voted for independence and is now almost established with its own government; the NT Country-Liberal Party was felled by the ALP and now has a female Chief Minister; the Kyoto Protocol survived after being ten years in the making and against the opposition of powerful 'carbon club' interests; native title is now recognised in law; the shadow of the White Australia policy has been resurrected in recent years in relation to refugees; the crime of genocide was committed again and again in many parts of the world; a wider wedge has been driven between the rich and poor; the MUA regained entry onto the Australian waterfront despite violent opposition from anti-union forces.

This collage of selected events gives a fleeting glimpse of the changing environment in which the SAO has operated since 1992. In that time the SAO has sought to reflect and act with integrity, in faithfulness to the gospel and Catholic Social Teaching. It is not always easy to sustain energy and, indeed, to sustain hope in the face of what often seems hopeless. Sometimes it is only the "dangerous memory" of those who have gone before us, struggling for justice, freedom and peace, that keeps the fire burning; other times it is the cry of the poor and downtrodden, caught up in unimaginable suffering, that moves our hearts and impels us to stand with them and act for justice - knowing that our own liberation is intrinsic to such relationships. From the position of white, middle class privilege, we recommit to making a reality - Sophia’s transformative dream for all creation.

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		INFORM-A^CTION Issue Number 40 - October 2001 SAO Enters its Tenth Year The Social Action Office (SAO) has now entered into its tenth year of operation. In that time it has seen many changes. Governments have come and gone; Hansonism took hold and then waxed and waned and waxed again; national competition policy was foisted onto the people of Australia; deregulation of major industries such as the airline and telecommunications industries occurred; East Timor voted for independence and is now almost established with its own government; the NT Country-Liberal Party was felled by the ALP and now has a female Chief Minister; the Kyoto Protocol survived after being ten years in the making and against the opposition of powerful 'carbon club' interests; native title is now recognised in law; the shadow of the White Australia policy has been resurrected in recent years in relation to refugees; the crime of genocide was committed again and again in many parts of the world; a wider wedge has been driven between the rich and poor; the MUA regained entry onto the Australian waterfront despite violent opposition from anti-union forces. This collage of selected events gives a fleeting glimpse of the changing environment in which the SAO has operated since 1992. In that time the SAO has sought to reflect and act with integrity, in faithfulness to the gospel and Catholic Social Teaching. It is not always easy to sustain energy and, indeed, to sustain hope in the face of what often seems hopeless. Sometimes it is only the "dangerous memory" of those who have gone before us, struggling for justice, freedom and peace, that keeps the fire burning; other times it is the cry of the poor and downtrodden, caught up in unimaginable suffering, that moves our hearts and impels us to stand with them and act for justice - knowing that our own liberation is intrinsic to such relationships. From the position of white, middle class privilege, we recommit to making a reality - Sophia’s transformative dream for all creation. Next Newsletter Article Newsletter Index