OCEANIA/AUSTRALIA - September 24 Social Justice Sunday justice and dignity for Indigenous Australians: how come their life expectancy is 17 years less than for non-Indigenous Australians?

Sydney (Agenzia Fides) - “The Heart of our Country: dignity and justice for our Indigenous sisters and brothers”: is the theme of Social Justice Sunday on 24 September. The Day was presented with a statement on behalf of the Australian Bishops’ Conference by Mr Tom Calma, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and Jesuit Father Brian McCoy, present also Bishop Christopher Saunders, bishop of the diocese of Broome. The statement The Heart of Our Country, draws on the historic Alice Springs address of Pope John Paul II to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders twenty years ago in 1986.
The aim of the Day is to reflect on what Australia has achieved in responding to the Holy Father’s challenge to support Indigenous culture and pursue true reconciliation. Among the many issues the Statement focuses on the social and economic disadvantage that continues to be experience by Indigenous communities. “How can it be that in this land of plenty the average life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is 17 years less than for non-Indigenous Australians. “In a nation that enjoys a vibrant economy where governments boast of their careful financial management, the question remains: why have we not been able to eliminate these dire circumstances from the every day experience of many Indigenous people?”
For his part Mr Tom Calma, listed three principles for tacking the “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Question”: safeguarding and respecting Indigenous culture; recognition of contact points between two systems of beliefs; respect and protection of Indigenous land and land rights; urgency of authentic social reconciliation based on forgiveness for mistakes committed in the past. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 15/9/2006 righe 25 parole 256)