JourneyOnline
What’s happening this week?
20 March is International Day of Happiness, a global celebration with a call for happiness to be given greater priority. To find out more, visit the International Day of Happiness website.
21 March is Harmony Day, an event designed to celebrate Australian multiculturalism, based on the successful integration of migrants into our community. Held every year on 21 March, the day coincides with the United Nations’ International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. To find out more, visit the Harmony Day website.
22 March is World Water Day, an event that focusses attention on the importance of water. The theme for World Water Day 2018 is “Nature for Water”—exploring nature-based solutions to the water challenges we face in the 21st century. To find out more visit the World Water Day website.
The world’s biggest movement to protect the planet, Earth Hour, will be held on Saturday 24 March. In 2018, Australians are invited to #Connect2Earth, so that we can all work towards a better understanding and appreciation of the values of biodiversity and the current condition of our home and planet. To find our more, visit the Earth Hour website or read our Earth Hour content that will be posted on JourneyOnline later this week.
The annual Palm Sunday Refugee Rally will be held on 25 March starting at King George Square at 1 pm. The march will start at 2 pm through Brisbane streets to St John’s Anglican Cathedral, Anne Street. To find out more, visit the Palm Sunday Refugee Rally Facebook page.
Week in review
Sue’s passion for social responsibility
Sue Hutchinson is the research and policy officer for the Queensland Synod. As a former Anglican who became a Catholic, supporting the Uniting Church with social responsibility issues, Sue was interviewed by The Catholic Leader about her passion for social responsibility which she traces to the days of “bouncing around” in the back of a station wagon with her mother at the wheel. Read Sue’s story here.
Do South African farmers deserve special attention?
Peter Dutton was in the news this week after he claimed white farmers facing violence in South Africa “deserve special attention”.
His comments were received with diverse reactions, with former Prime Minister Tony Abbot claiming saying he is “absolutely right” while Deputy Prime Minister Julie Bishop said there were no plans to treat South African applicants any differently under Australia’s humanitarian visa program.
Adoption policies need to be reviewed
ABC News reported that Assistant Minister for Children and Families Dr David Gillespie has urged states and territories to consider more “open adoptions” for Indigenous children—where a child is able to have continued contact with his or her biological parents.
This is in response to a child protection crisis in Australia with a change in policy to allow more Indigenous children in care to be adopted.
Push to keep mental health patients out of hospital
In an article in The Australian, private health insurers are pushing for community-based programs for mental health patients in an attempt to reverse a rising trend where people are admitted for treatments previously offered in an outpatient setting.
This is a result of a rise in the supply of mental health beds in the private sector, which has seen mental health outlays grow at a faster rate than overall claims.
