As the opening of the Olympic Games on 8 August approaches, world attention is on China, and this attention is persistently on issues other than sport. Human rights abuses and environmental concerns are top of the list. All of this begs the question: should Christians be more active on these moral issues?

We guess APEC does not top your list of interesting topics. Some people are annoyed at the disruption to life in Sydney. Most will just stay well away and enjoy the public holiday. But perhaps the following two opposing opinions will help you glimpse the great issues at stake:

Being able to freely cast your vote is not a privilege enjoyed in every part of the world. With a Federal election on the way, Australians become more aware of our ability to participate in the democratic process.

Our previous briefing made some legal, philosophical and theological observations about ‘free speech’ as part of an ongoing ‘work in progress’ on the subject. This briefing will continue trying to unravel free speech theologically, by summarising the argument of The Revd Prof. Oliver O’Donovan, as found in The Desire of the Nations

‘Freedom’ is notoriously frustrating to do business with. When it is missing, we really notice its absence; but when we have it, we enjoy it often without even noticing. Nobody doesn’t want freedom, yet when we talk about it and celebrate it we can find, to our dismay, that entirely different kinds of freedom are being spoken of.

Premier Bob Carr’s decision not to support the extension of vilification laws to religion is to be commended as good thinking by a wise leader. His argumentation shows why such laws are unnecessary and counter-productive.

The main purpose of this briefing is to bring to your attention a new Private Members Bill, which may result in a more just and compassionate treatment of each immigration detainee. The briefing will also summarise some other recent news in relation to immigration detention.