Fixing the Rural and Urban Divide in Australia
1 October 2001 at 1:10 pm
Australia’s Catholic Bishops say the trend towards centralisation and privatisation of services in the bush is detrimental to Australian Society.
In the 2001 Social Justice Statement, entitled, “A Just & Peaceful Land: Rural and Regional Australia in 2001” the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference calls for a fairer distribution of economic and social infrastructure to give rural and regional Australia what most people take for granted.
The Acting Chairman of the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, Bishop William Morris says there is no doubt that “the bush” is still hurting as the fabric of these regional and rural communities in Australia continue to take the strain of modern social practice.
The Bishops’ Conference questions the centralisation and privatisation of services, and the economic practices that mean the closure of businesses and social services that have so many flow-on effects for the community.
Bishop Morris says the Church has also been struggling with the challenge of allocating its resources of personnel and funds so that people in regional and rural Australia have a fair share.
The Conference Statement spells out the issues for the Church and gives examples of how various dioceses have tried to address them.
He says the Bishops are committed to the common good of all Australians which means that problems in rural and regional Australia concern us all, no matter where we live.
For a copy of the document, “A Just and Peaceful Land: Rural and Regional Australian in 2001” (10 pages) send us an e-mail to probono@probonoaustralia.com.au.
