Hamilton Uniting congregation

Dated 5 May 2025    

Taking in what happened at the Federal Election is going to take a while. The headline, of course, is that we averted a major backward step on climate progress. Not long ago that was a real possibility. Not now! Let’s take some time to celebrate. 

It’s a great relief to have a Government elected that fundamentally believes in taking action on climate change. There were a mix of issues on the table but energy policy was prominent, so it can reasonably be said that Australian voters were mostly unimpressed with nuclear energy and voted for a future based on renewables, EV’s, batteries and other sustainable technologies. 

ARRCC supporters can be proud of our significant contribution to the climate movement’s collective determined effort to create this outcome. Hundreds of ARRCC people were involved.

That we take a stand on the climate as people of faith adds weight to our messaging - our basic motivation is not ideological but to create a better society, one organised around values of compassion, fairness, simple lifestyles and responsible care for the earth. Collectively we stand against greed and for a safe, flourishing future for all.

ARRCC has trusted partners in the climate movement and one of these is the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF). The following background is quoted directly from ACF:

ACF's election scorecard is designed to help voters understand how well the climate and nature policies of political parties and candidates align with ACF’s national agenda. We have assessed the main parties (Labor, Liberal/National Coalition, Greens), incumbent independent MPs in the House of Representatives and independent candidates in electorates with high numbers of ACF supporters.

Download your copy of the scorecard here.

The peak body for Catholic Religious Orders, Catholic Religious Australia, has published a clear clarion call before the 2025 federal election on issues to do with climate and the environment.

Grounded in Catholic social teaching, the prophetic statement reads, "Care for the natural world, our ‘common home,’ is a central moral concern of the Catholic Church, and Catholic Religious Australia (CRA) is a strong advocate for environmental and climate justice. 2024 was the hottest year on record globally, and the first calendar year where the average global temperature exceeded 1.5°C above its pre-industrial level."

The statement challenges our nation to wind back coal and gas exports, stop subsidising fossil fuels and deliver meaningful Climate Finance to climate vulnerable countries like the low-lying island nations of the Pacific. It also issues a strong warning against nuclear energy.

Download the statement, with graphic design.

Innumerable teachings in all the faith traditions call people of faith to care for those who are suffering most, to seek the truth, and to be responsible citizens, caring for the earth so that we can hand it more-or-less intact to our children and their children.

Looking around at our world today, it's easy to see that the way people vote can make a huge material difference. 

To live out our values authentically, we must seek out reliable sources of information and be informed. The Climate Council is made up of experts who are not about making profits but who make reliable assessments of policies and their impacts on the climate. ARRCC believes we are sharing sound assessments with you, our readers.

Download the above scorecard here.

We as faith communities are concerned about the possible effect on the right to protest of efforts to protect worshippers from harassment in their regular place of worship. 

We agree that people who are going into or out of a place of worship, or who are worshipping inside, should be able to do so safely, free of harassment, intimidation and violence. Acts of violence against places of worship or multicultural communities are abhorrent and should be treated with the utmost seriousness. However, instances of violence, harassment or intimidation in the vicinity of religious institutions are already covered by existing legislation, including prohibitions on intimidating individuals in the Crimes Act and inciting hatred against individuals based on their religion in the Anti-Discrimination Act. 

What just happened in Azerbaijan? An awful lot, and most of it bad. Here is the short version, from the organisers of the Fossil Fuel Non Proliferation Treaty.

Christian Brothers Oceania Retreat Centre in Mulgoa, NSW

ARRCC applauds Christian Brothers Oceania for joining this international announcement of faith-based institutions who have made the decision to divest from fossil fuels and instead invest in nature positive ways. We commend a number of Australian dioceses and other faith-based organisations who have also made such decisions, and we encourage more of them to shine their light for the world to see.

Below is the global press release that was sent out on 12 November, 2024, by a group of faith-based organisations. It is entitled, 

“A moral imperative”: Global faith institutions say investing in fossil fuels no longer ethical amid extreme climate, biodiversity and humanitarian impacts

While delegates meet at COP29 for UN climate talks, 27 faith institutions – including first-ever commitments from two Catholic dioceses in France – call for an end to the fossil fuel era

L-R: Bishop Sarah Plowman, Aunty Sandra King, Emma Beach, Aunty McRose Elu, Swami Atmeshananda, Very Rev'd Peter Catt at St John's Cathedral, Brisbane

Cathedrals and over 150 diverse places of worship across Australia have unveiled banners with a united message for the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition: Australia needs an historic investment in clean energy to enable an urgent transition away from fossil fuels.

Huge banners were ceremonially blessed at Cathedrals in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Newcastle, and Brisbane as part of a Week of Action. At each place of worship, faith leaders are leading the call for a historic investment in renewables, an end to the coal and gas industry cash splash, changes to environment laws and an urgent fossil fuel phase-out.

A video statement addressing the leaders of both major parties features nine senior faith leaders outlining a list of policies requested by faith communities. Investing in clean energy on an unprecedented scale is key.

 (Image credit: Kevin Siers | Copyright 2018 Cagle Cartoons)

Recent reports suggested what the Leader of the Opposition may be planning as regards Climate policy. It is deeply depressing because it is so out of touch with reality.

"Two years to save the world ....

This was  the haunting title of a recent speech by UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell, at Chatham House in London.

He speaks with knowledge, hoping to inspire faster action.

The science is clear, as the latest IPCC report makes plain.

Written by Tejopala Rawls, with thanks to Glen Klatovsksy, CEO of Climate Action Network Australia (CANA), for excellent notes that have informed this blog.

People of many faiths united in a vigil outside Prime Minister Albanese's office in Sydney during COP28.

So, what just happened?

COP28 has recently concluded in Dubai. It is being described, depending on who you listen to, as anything from “historic progress” to a “failure”. This is our attempt to make sense of the outcomes. 

Overall, COP28 has provided much needed momentum, but we’re certainly not yet moving at the speed that we need, and time is running out.

People from the Pacific and other climate-vulnerable countries were disappointed that the final agreement is non-binding, lacks the ambition truly needed and includes ambiguities that allow countries to interpret the text in whatever way they prefer. The agreement fails with regard to fairness, and it will deliver far too little finance for adaptation and Loss and Damage.