Just NewsWelcome back to Just News. In today's edition: the first story from our current autumn supporter newsletter, the Palm Sunday march for refugees, and our call to support young people involved in the justice system. It's the beginning of waring (wombat) season on the calendar of the Wurundjeri people, from whose country Just News is sent – cold and wet, with long nights, misty mornings, and abundant fungi. Stay warm, stay dry, and enjoy the edition. Justice-involved teens encouraged to express at NGVTeachers from our Ignatius Learning Centre put in months of work to organise a creatively fulfilling and engaging visit for students to the National Gallery of Victoria – see the impact in our latest story, fresh from our current autumn supporter newsletter. Jesuit Social Services marches for Palm SundaySchool, parishes and the Catholic Alliance for People Seeking Asylum (CAPSA) campaign marched for refugee rights in Melbourne on Palm Sunday – joining the call for permanent visas for refugees. See the photos, read the wrap-up, and join CAPSA's actions below. Take action: Ask Victoria to Raise the Age to 14We've advocated for a decade to raise the age of criminal responsibility and keep children out of prison, and our Worth A Second Chance campaign gives supporters an opportunity to email the Victorian Premier and call for the state to raise the age to 14, with no exceptions. Media, news and events Dates to add to your diary and Jesuit Social Services in the news. MediaOur call to raise the age of criminal responsibility was heard across the country, with Andrew Yule interviewed on 10 News last week – see the clip here. The latest report by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which synthesises the findings of recent reports, is an urgent reminder that Australia must take strong action to address climate change vulnerability and build climate resilient communities as an issue of justice, alongside mitigation measures, we wrote in our media release. And while the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW)’s annual Youth Justice in Australia report revealed that the number of young people in custody has declined over the past five years, we argued this positive trend must be supported by a commitment by all states and territories to raise the age of criminal responsibility and ensure more children and young people have the chance to flourish. And our Support After Suicide program is in the media, with Gippsland's Warragul Gazette publishing this story about our upcoming information session. EventsCongratulations to our fundraising and events team for delivering a fantastic 2023 Annual Dinner, which was attended by more than 280 people in Melbourne on 25 March. Things aren't slowing down here, with two more online Lunchtime Learning sessions on ecological justice slated for April and May. Find more information in Sally Parnell's email from 5 April, and the calendar invitations in your inbox. Ecological justice How we're enacting our commitment to ecological justice across the organisation – acknowledging the intersection of social and environmental justice in everything we do. For the first time ever, Australia has a hard cap on emissions from big pollutersPreviously, under the Federal Government’s Safeguard Mechanism policy, there was nothing stopping big polluting companies from producing as much carbon emissions as they wanted, because the cap on emissions was very high. Recently the Government passed changes to this policy which mean the limit on greenhouse emissions big polluting companies can produce is far lower, and will reduce over time. For the first time ever in Australia, there will be a hard cap on emissions and it will be much harder for some new coal and gas projects to go ahead if they will produce a lot of emissions. You can read more or watch this Climate Council video to understand more about the new Safeguard Mechanism policy. Going beyond emergency management to build climate resilient communities In late March, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its final report for this period which synthesised previous research, including findings that identified Australia as suffering greater impacts from climate change than any other advanced economy. Jesuit Social Services’ Centre for Just Places Executive Director, Susie Moloney, said “more frequent and intense floods, bushfires and storms, along with rising levels of energy poverty, have real and worsening consequences for people already experiencing marginalisation and disadvantage.” The Centre responded via media release, saying the report is an urgent reminder that Australia must take strong action to address climate change vulnerability and build climate resilient communities as an issue of justice, alongside urgent measures to reduce carbon emissions and prevent further climate change. Like what you've read? Share your thoughtsSend your feedback, updates, questions and tips to Just News. |