The fact that Australia's mainline Protestant Churches are near collapse doesn't seem to have deterred them from aggressively pursuing a number of dubious social justice agendas.
Recently, Anglicans have been busy loudly condemning coal as the new evil, questioning the conduct of Australian border security and encouraging local parishes to use dolphin-friendly tuna and vegetarian options at all church gatherings.
This begs the question, what should Australia's churches actually be advocating as social benefits for our community, particularly from denominations that are numerically, financially and spiritually disconnected from mainstream Australian life.
Pope John Paul II has given a powerful focus to the central issue that is confronting Australian society in the 21st Century in his encyclical Laborem exercens (English: On Human Work), highlighting the dignity and value of human work. Australia has not been immune from recession, the restructuring of manufacturing and the constant need to compete and adapt to global markets.
The Australian government is sharply focused on a free trade agenda that will go a long way to ensuring our continued prosperity, particularly in our trading relationship with Asian neighbours. This is a good policy. Nevertheless, there are Australian workers, urban and rural, whose employment has been affected or eroded by international competition. In many cases there are limited opportunities for alternative employment.
Whilst churches also talk a great deal about poverty reduction, they are usually silent and blind to the obvious; gaining employment and holding it is the key platform for human fulfilment. Employment is the foundation of the whole social justice agenda. It is the means to provide for marriage and family, the ownership of a home and the resources to raise and educate children. It also allows for all of us to contribute to the welfare of our nation beyond our family and friends.
But the demands of the modern economy must not destroy employment or the dignity of the worker. As John Paul II noted, Jesus spent most of his life working, hence, the Pope's call for worker support whenever employment is threatened or lost, care for their families and a strong emphasis on new employment as central to our community life. (Laborem exercens, No 8)
The world of work changes; that is the one constant reality of work. Nothing stays the same and adaptation is the key. All businesses must be focused on continued improvement and all workers on the need for adapting and developing skills.
In Australia, employment issues are directly related to the health of all Australian States. It is not just South Australia or Tasmania in which this is keenly felt. States unable to support their population with long-term employment which encourages individuals to build lives over a sustained period, will simply lose population to states which can.
Some churches also need more honesty surrounding the benefits that flow from free-enterprise. The generally socialist ethos of church pronouncements is often restricted to the idea that business is motivated by profit alone. Broader notions of wealth which include physical, psychological, moral and spiritual benefits almost always stem from the world of work.
Australian business has overwhelmingly allowed Australians to participate in the benefits and goods that define our humanity and has made an irreplaceable contribution to our society. The Business Council is making a powerful call to lower company tax and personal income tax. Currently, Australia is at severe competitive disadvantage against our Asian neighbours, whose average corporate tax rate is around 22% compared to our 30% rate.
However, let's not expect our churches to get on board with this soon. The real challenge facing young employed Australians is the need for more political engagement and greater social justice. I know, lets hold a sustainable, multi-cultural rally in aid of Animal Welfare!
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