The Record Newspaper 27 July 1989

Page 1

PERTH, WA: July 27, 1989

Registered by Australia Post Publication No. WAR 0202

Most in WA say yes to abortion

Number 2646

8y PETER IsENNEOV dont DIANA CALL ANDER

POST ADDRESS: PO Box 50, Northbridge, 6000 W.A. LOCATION: 26 John St, Northbridge (east off Fitzgerald St).

TELEPHONE: (09) 328 1388

FAX (09) 328 7307

MOST West Australians .ant abortion on demand. accord-

PRICE 60C

WA condemned. as 'racist state' WESTERN Australia is a racist state IA hcre ksians :horigincs are and lit-sccond-class ing in La ol siol• sexual harassme dation and report

Bubble will burst

.

WESTPOLL

Gospels of St Poll

TODAY

• Page 4 WITTENOOM: DUST TO DUST

I

Quote

ll . . . It should be made clear that the report does not purport to make any comprehensive judgement, or draw any generalised conclusions, as to the incidence of racism in WA. Nor was it intended to do so.

By MICHAEL SNCLP.,11-JONES -

Discrimination Commissioner Irene Moss

Planetary theologian Father Tissa Balasuriya of Sri Lanka, on his fourth visit to Australia in 18 years, believes Australia has some global questions to answer.

WARNING BY PLANETARY THEOLOGIAN ON ABUSE OF ENVIRONMENT Unless people of the r ich, dominant and aff luent countries take action to conserve and c ontrol the use of the world's resources the future for the Third World in the 1990's will be bleak, according to a Sri Lankan Oblate priest.

And unless there is action and serious contestation about these issues in countries like Australia, the solution may have to come the 'hard way' says Father Tissa Balasuriya who describes himself as a 'planetary theologian'. Controls must be exercised, he says, over organisations and multinational companies which are stripping world resources, over the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. The alternative he says will be "worse than anything seen since 1492 because the pressure in Third Wcrrld countries is so great and whatever r esources are being extracted in those coun-

tries is being done in conjunction with local elites." Father Balasuriya says that planetary theology means we all belong to one world and that the world's resources belong to the whole world. "If you have one God, one humanity and one earth then theology has to do with how human beings use the resources available. "If we accept creation and providence then we can think out the revelation in Jesus Christ to

bring about the Kingdom of God on earth." He points out that Australia has 6% of the world's land surface but one 0.3% of the world's population. Western Australia has 1% of the earth's land but only onefiftieth of one per cent of the world population. Europeans, he says, have taken over most of the free areas of the world, in Canada, Australia and New Zealand where 1% of the world's population controls 13% of the world's surface.

Father Balasuriya says it is a matter of justice for these resources to be opened up to more people, through immigration and other measures. Politicians will change their attitudes to these problems only when the ideas of people change, he says. World leaders are not dealing with the issue because "they think that the present world system is sacrosanct, as a result of European expansion over the past few centur-

ies and of the Yalta conference after World War II. "If the problem cannot be contained, it will burst and then they will have to take note. Presently they are trying other ways." Father B. Palasuriya is less concerned for politicians than for the companies that are moving in and taking the resources from poor people and even from Australia but who are not accountable to anyone.

Asian populations are increasing while European numbers decline and if there is no planned rational response to these needs there will be deaths either through famine or violence, he Says. He says "low intensity conflicts" are being fostered in the Third World by big companies and people who do not want to change. "They see to it that there are conflicts in different parts of the world," he explains, citing the Iran-

Money movement: Statement delayed The Bishops' Committee for Justice, Development and Peace has decided to delay publication of a draft statement on the distribution of wealth until the early months of 1990.

this year. After reviewing comments from other bishops and consultants, the Committee concluded that an extension of time was needed before a satisfactory draft could be finalised.

The Committee had hoped to issue the draft The Committee has in time for Social Justice decided to issue a brief Sunday (September 24) progress report on the

wealth inquiry for Social Justice Sunday. This will contain further information about the coming draft statement. The Committee noted that the Australian Catholic Social Welfare Commission's recent publication A Fair Go For Families (revised version) addressed some

of the issues raised in the wealth inquiry. (The Record July 6.) Bishop William Brennan of Wagga, Chairman of the wealth inquiry's drafting group, said it was hoped that the Catholic community would give careful consideration to A Fair Go For Families.

"It would be appropriate if A Fair Go For Families received special attention on Social Justice Sunday this year," Bishop Brennan said. The document is being issued in two versions, one full (in book format) and the other simplified (in magazine format). It is published by Collins Dove, Melbourne.

Iraq war that was supported various by the USA, Europe and Russia in the selling of arms. Australia shares in this arms trade and will hold an arms exhibition here in November. Many action groups are aware of the threat of nuclear arms but not of the part that conventional arms play in the world economic situation, he said, noting that it is the big corporations that can influence governments. "We have to get beyond an approach to life that is materialistic and selfish — and this is not the same thing as being religious. The content of spirituality has to be rethought in the wider context. Father Balasuriya said that concern about ecology was a good thing but only if it embraced sharing as well as caring for the world's resources. "Governments talk, but companies which take all the resources make decisions" he observed.


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