1999

24th August 1999
Historic Joint Pastoral Letter on Unemployment, Two Bishops Trust

"United We Stand: A Pastoral Letter on Unemployment"

Alan says: "Unemployment is almost as low as you can go. Each day I face loneliness, despair, boredom, listlessness …"
(ACBC, A New Beginning: Eradicating Poverty in Our World, 1996)

Dear Friends in Christ,

We bishops know of many people in the Hunter, Central Coast and Manning Regions who share Alan’s experience of material and spiritual poverty. Workers from the Samaritans Foundation and the St Vincent de Paul Society are currently being approached by hundreds of families per week. The vast majority of these families are in financial and personal crisis as a result of unemployment. (The Samaritans Foundation, Report on Unemployment, 1999) They live in poverty while others profit at their expense. We declare that this situation is morally unacceptable. This situation is a scandal to us all.

Unemployment is Evil
Unemployment is evil. Unemployment is the face of our brother or sister in pain. The unemployed are not a faceless mass. They are our brothers and sisters who are made to feel marginalised, left out, of little value, ashamed, trapped, isolated, depressed, hopeless, suicidal. (The Samaritans Foundation, Report on Unemployment, 1999) Are these the feelings that we wish to inspire in our community?

Unemployment levels in some localities within the boundaries of our dioceses are among the highest in the nation. Unemployment rates are often selectively quoted in the public forum. And yet, it is not percentages that are unemployed, but people… Human dignity, not statistical nicety, is our focus. (ACSJC, Putting People First: A Word in Support of the Unemployed, 1994)

The Right to Work
Work is the key to building a just society. (JPII, On Human Work, 1981) It is our right and our vocation, it is a way in which we express ourselves and grow as persons. It is a way in which we come into relationship with others and contribute to the common good and it is how most of us have access to the necessities of life. (ACSJC, Position Paper on Unemployment, 1999) Through work, paid or unpaid, a person achieves fulfilment as a human being and, in a sense, becomes "more a human being." (JPII, On Human Work, 1981) A job gives each of us a sense of identity. (The Samaritans Foundation, Report on Unemployment, 1999)

Unemployment and Poverty
Current research strongly suggests that the biggest factor leading to poverty in Australia is unemployment. (St Vincent de Paul Society, Social Action, July 1999) Unless methods are devised to overcome high levels of unemployment we will not halt the increase in the numbers of people experiencing poverty. (St Vincent de Paul Society, Social Action, July 1999) A nation that tolerates unemployment is one that tolerates poverty and therefore devalues its citizens.

In attempting to address the national disaster of unemployment, we must reject as morally wrong the notion that a certain level of unemployment is acceptable or necessary for a competitive economy. (ACBC, A New Beginning: Eradicating Poverty in Our World, 1996)

The Two Bishops Trust
We bishops believe that the Churches have a right and an obligation to speak out on the realities of unemployment. Decisions on unemployment, like all economic decisions, should not be ‘left to the sole judgement of groups possessing economic power, or of the political community alone’. (Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes, 1965, 1978) All of us have a part to play in finding solutions. (ACSJC, Putting People First: A Word in Support of the Unemployed, 1994)

The Two Bishops Trust is an historic joint venture between the Anglican Church, the Catholic Church, the Samaritans Foundation and the St Vincent de Paul Society. The Trust upholds the view that every citizen is entitled to a life of dignity. Every citizen is entitled to a job or a vocation.

The Two Bishops Trust will use all the varied influence it possesses to unite the people of the Hunter, Central Coast and Manning Regions in an annual Festival of Sharing. The inaugural Festival is being held from August 27 to September 5 in 1999. The Festival of Sharing will raise community awareness of the plight of unemployed people and those on low fixed incomes. The Festival will also raise funds for the ongoing work of the Two Bishops Trust.

Subject to fundraising and community consultation, the Two Bishops Trust plans to establish four Energy Centres throughout the Hunter Region. The possibility of a further two Energy Centres has been mooted for the Central Coast and Manning Regions respectively. These centres will be dedicated to the social empowerment of unemployed people and those on low fixed income.

The people of the Hunter, Central Coast and Manning Regions are renowned for sharing in times of disaster. We’ve united against flood. We’ve united against drought. We’ve united against earthquake. It’s time to unite against unemployment!

We implore each and every citizen of the Hunter, Central Coast and Manning Regions to embrace the Festival of Sharing. We implore each and every one of you to embrace your brothers and sisters in need.

Yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Michael Malone (Catholic Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle) AND

The Right Reverend Roger Herft (Anglican Bishop of Newcastle)

Back to Writings Index Page