National News

  The president of the Uniting Church in Australia Stuart McMillan has welcomed the commitment by the Federal Government to develop a national approach to redress for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse. “This commitment by the government is important, because a nationally consistent approach has been identified as best meeting the needs of survivors,” said Mr McMillan. “The Royal ...

Last month over 80 church members from across four presbyteries within the Queensland Synod gathered to discuss the outcomes of Dr Keith Suter’s thesis “Does the Uniting Church in Australia have a future?” Ashley Thompson reports. Since its release last year, Dr Keith Suter’s four possible scenarios for the Uniting Church’s future has received mixed reviews, causing fear in some ...

With Rev Terence Corkin stepping down as Assembly general secretary at the end of the year, Queenslanders will find a familiar face at the helm in 2016. Nigel Tapp reports. The 14th Assembly has appointed UnitingCare Queensland’s director of mission, Colleen Geyer as its incoming general secretary. Colleen will take the reins from Rev Terence Corkin, who will step down ...

From 12 July Stuart McMillan will become president of the Uniting Church—only the third lay person to ever hold the position. Matt Pulford writes. Stuart McMillan says he had a really good first week working for the Uniting Church in the Northern Territory. But the way that week started wasn’t promising. Six weeks after being interviewed in Sydney for an ...

Deciphering the 60+ Assembly proposals and reports before the meeting is a challenge even for the Assembly’s members. Check out some of the highlights and get the jump on the meeting. Anglican–Uniting Church dialogue Assembly Standing Committee commends the adoption of the Weaving a New Cloth document, which advocates local cooperation between Anglican and Uniting churches throughout Australia. The Royal ...

Church leaders from across Australia and New Zealand gathered in Brisbane last month. Rohan Salmond reports. The annual trans-Tasman gathering of church leaders took place in Brisbane in April, bringing together the six moderators from Uniting Church synods, the president of the Uniting Church Assembly, the president of the Methodist Church of New Zealand and the moderator of the Presbyterian ...

Debates about welfare often place charities and policy-makers at odds, but UnitingCare Australia sees opportunity in the federal government’s latest review of welfare. Annette Pereira reports. UnitingCare Australia has long advocated investing more, not less, in people who are disadvantaged. When the final report of the government’s welfare reform review was handed down earlier this year, there were some unexpected ...

Over 100 Uniting Church members and UnitingCare employees were among the thousands of people marching at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade. Journey reports. Two separate Uniting Church–affiliated groups marched in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade this year. Uniting Network, a national network of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) members of the ...

The Uniting Church in Australia is calling for the immediate release of all children and their families from Australian-run immigration detention centres, following the publication of a shocking report by the Australian Human Rights Commission. Matt Pulford reports. The Australian Human Rights Commission has released a damning report, entitled The Forgotten Children, on the largest survey of children in detention ...

About FACE has been forging relationships between First and Second Peoples for over 30 years. The latest program has continued to build that trust and understanding. Nigel Trapp reports. Brisbane university student Haileigh Childs admits she had little understanding of Aboriginal culture prior to immersing herself in the About FACE program. “My relationship and understanding was virtually non-existent before. I ...