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Unemployment
Work is a Right and a Duty
Work is the key to building a just society. This is why teachings about work and the rights and duties of workers and employers have been central to the teaching of the Church about social justice.
ACSJC Resources
ACSJC Position & Background Papers
For a brief explanation of the ACSJC’s position regarding unemployment, and some background information, visit the Publications Section of this website and access the Position Papers page.
Catholic Social Justice Series
Catholic Social Justice Series paper No31, Full Employment: Towards a Just Society, by Dr Tim Battin is a comprehensive, critical yet accessible examination of the economic policies that allow unemployment to persist. Published in 1997, this paper can be ordered from the ACSJC Secretariat for $5.50 plus postage.
Pastoral Letters for the Feast of St Joseph the Worker
Every year, to commemorate the Feast of St Joseph the Worker, the Chair of the ACSJC issues a Pastoral Statement on a work related issue. Copies of these Pastoral Statements are available from the ACSJC Secretariat.
Church Teaching
Pope John Paul II’s 1981 encyclical Laborem Exercens, or On Human Labour, is the most comprehensive Papal teaching document on work issues. The text can be accessed at http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_14091981_laborem-exercens_en.html
Social Justice Sunday Statement 1994, Putting People First: A Word in Support of the Unemployed, Collins Dove, Blackburn, 1994.
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Common Wealth for the Common Good, Collins Dove, Blackburn, 1992.
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Statement on Unemployment, 5 December 1991, reproduced in Newport (ed), Australian Catholic Bishops' Statements 1985, 1995, St Paul, Strathfield, 1997
Useful Websites
Catholic Welfare Australia is the peak body that represents the social welfare apostolate of the Catholic Church at the national level. It is a national Federation of Catholic social service organisations that operate in local communities. From July 2001 Catholic Welfare Australia replaced Australian Catholic Social Welfare Commission and Centacare Australia. www.catholicwelfare.com.au
The Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) is the national peak council of the community welfare sector in Australia ? the principal voice of low income and disadvantaged people in social and economic policy matters. ACOSS aims to end poverty and help build a just and inclusive society that values difference and the right of all people and communities to the social and economic resources they need to control their own lives. www.acoss.org.au
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's official statistical organisation. It assists and encourages informed decision-making, research and discussion within governments and the community, by providing a high quality, objective and responsive national statistical service. www.abs.gov.au
The Centre of Full Employment and Equity (known as CofFEE) is an official research centre at the University of Newcastle and seeks to promote research aimed at restoring full employment and achieving an economy that delivers equitable outcomes for all. http://e1.newcastle.edu.au/coffee/index.cfm
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