Perth: July 18, 1996
WA's only Catholic weekly newspaper
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St Mary's students mix art, nature By Bob Michel, CEO Public Relations Officer
Proud St Mary's students hold up their Aboriginal inspired mural as collaborating artist Adrian Collarrl and art coordinator Connie Spinelli, left, and UNESCO coordinator Jean-Paul Orsini, right, look on. Photo. Bob AticheVCE0
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Bunbury is one of only 10 schools in Western Australia thosen by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation to spread the message about West Australia's biodiversity. Sixteen St Mary's Year 1 to Year 7 students worked hard on the project for three months with the assistance of aboriginal artist Adrian Collard to produce a larger-than-life mural rich in colour with an indigenous style. UNESCO coordinator Dr JeanPaul Orsini said the project aimed to bring together WNs artistic and natural heritage as a way of helping conserve the state's biodiversity. St Mary's contribution can be seen at the ftemantle Arts Centre from 26 July to 25 August. The exhibon will then travel to Banbury and Margaret River. Protect environment - Page 13
Illligrant cuts 'sign of selfishness' Howard Goverrunent cuts to refugee category at 4,000 net. Australia's Despite this, the overall humanrefugee and migrant intalce were a sign of itarian program, of which the the selfishness afflicting strict refugee component is only Australian society, the one part, was reduced from Australian Catholic Bishops' 13,000 to 12,000 a year. In the general migration proCommittee for Migrants and gram, the family reunion categoRefugees has said. ry was cut from 58,000 to 44,700 Committee chairman Bishop and the slcilled migrant category Peter De Campo of Port Pirie in increased from 23,600 to 28,00. South Australia last week asked The bishops' committee said what had happened to the purpose of the refugee proAustralia's sense of compassion gram was to provide refuge for as the cuts would affect people those who had been displaced persecuted overseas as well as and disenfranchised within their the unity of migrant families own country. already here. "Anyone who qualifies under "For years Australia offered the the htunanitarian program has a world moral leadership in its fear of persecution or loss of generosity towards refugees and their life or danger of severe other would-be immigrants. ," human rights violation," they Bishop De Carnpo said after the said. committee met last week. The committee said of the more "Now we are seeing growing than 17 million refugees in the signs of national selfishness world today, 75,000 were suitable rather than international human- u II, der the United Nations' High itarianism." for Refugees' i CommIissioner for resettlement. Federal Immigration Minister requirements Philip Ruddock said on 3 July the "Therefore decreasing the Govermnent had honoured its [refugee] program at a time when election promise not to cut the there is an increased need to refugee intake, keeping the help a vulnerable group - such as
Bidyadanga celebrates missioners - Page 8
refugees - is inappmpriate," they said. The bishops said that the decision to cut the Family Reunion component "debases" the importance of families by regarding economic rationalism as more important than families. They also questioned the decision's basis in light of the Howard Government's pro-family policy espoused before the last election. While they had no objection to increasing the intalce numbers for skilled migrants the bishops said it was paradoxical that the Govenunent was choosing at the same time to reduce mdsting labour market tra g programs structured specifically to target the long term unemployed. The Government's program aimed at reuniting migrant was an important support for iiiii . i.ir the family in general and this in hum was pivotal to a supportive, cohesive and functional society, t committee said. hF Similar concerns with the migrant and refugee cuts were expressed last week by the heads of Catholic and Anglican religious orders at their amnia]. conference at Caloundra in
Queensland, by the Jesuit Refugee Service in Sydney and the Independent Council for Refugee Advocacy here in Perth. These groups also criticised the Government's policy of preventing refugee organisations from gaining access to refugees and asylum seekers held in detention. Critical of the Government for reversing its previous conunit113i1 ment, given "at the consultative level", to sustaining the current planned numbers of refugees under the Humanitarian program, the bishops' committee said the implication of the decision to cut intakes raised questions about Austrulia's commitments to global democracy when budget restrictions were put before the requirements of a vulnerable group of people. "Australia Call hardly encourage a tmiversal htunanitarian approach to life and then, through the need to balance the budget, ply renege on our humanitarian obligation the bishops said. "We must be consistent in our aIproach and be seen globally as a serious country that values humanity."
From Freo to Calcutta with love - Page 9
Bad health forces out Little, Pell takes over
Bishop George Pell presents Pope John Paul with a draft copy of the Australian bishops' report Common Wealth and the Common Good.
Melbourne Auxiliary Bishop George Pell is the new Archbishop of Melbourne following the resignation of Archbishop Sir Frank Little for reasons of ill health. The apostolic pro-nuncio to Australia, Archbishop Franco Brambilla, announced Pope John Paul II's appointment of Bishop Pell in Canberra on Tuesday evening. Bishop Pell. 55, has become well-known in the media for his defence of the Church's moral and doctrinal teachings. Archbishop Brambilla did n S t elaborate on the reasons for Archbishop Little's resignation. Born in Ballarat in Victoria In 8 June, 1941, Bishop Pell was educated at Loreto Convent and St Patrick's College in Ballarat and then at Corpus Christi College in Werribee from 1960 to 1963. He gained his licentiate of theology from Propaganda Fide College in Rome in 1967 and a doctorate in Philosophy from Oxford University in 1971. He is currently secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Committee for Education and chairman of Caritas Australia (formerly known as Australian Catholic Relief), the Australian Catholic Bishops' overseas aid and development organisation. After ordination in 1966, Fr Pell worked in the Ballarat Diocese until he was appointed rector of Victoria Provincial Seminary, Corpus Christi, in 1985. In 198Z he was made an Auxiliary Bishop of Amhdiocese of Melbourne.
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