Australian News August

Praise from pastors

A CMS missionary couple has offered praise to God that the government has finally intervened in remote communities.

“Missionaries and others on the front line… have been describing the symptoms for years,” write Steve and Narelle Etherington in their regular prayer letter.

The brother-in-law of Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough is Aboriginal pastor Greg Stubbs, who oversees an indigenous church at Morapoi Station, two hours north of Kalgoorlie.

Greg and his wife Carol, who are supported by the evangelical missionary agency CMA Australia, offered a similar response in an interview with The Bulletin last month.

Carol said the plan to dry up the ‘rivers of grog’ was “a great thing”, but wonders: “Will there be people there to walk alongside the alcoholics and their families once it’s gone?”.

“Make no mistake, I’m pleased and proud of him,” she says of her brother’s plan to tackle child abuse with strong law and order measures. “Yes, it is paternalistic but maybe that’s what’s required… I haven’t walked where he’s walked.”

The Etheringtons say the most important prayer point is to uphold indigenous churches as “salt, light and glue for their societies”.

Peak body’s stance embarrasses Anglicare

Peter Kell, CEO of Anglicare Sydney, was forced to distance the organisation from its peak body after vehement media criticism of Anglicare Australia’s opposition to the Federal Government’s intervention in remote Aboriginal communities. 

Mr Kell said Anglicare Sydney is fully supportive of Prime Minister John Howard’s concern.

“We are convinced by the cogent arguments of Noel Pearson and other indigenous leaders who have been calling for serious and sustained Federal intervention to address the ongoing issues of child abuse,” he said.

Anglicare Australia is an umbrella organisation that covers many Anglican caring organisations. However each of these groups is autonomous.

Blame shared, says bishop

The Anglican Bishop of the NT, Greg Thompson, has released a statement welcoming the Federal Government’s commitment to tackle child sexual abuse in indigenous communities.

The statement came after the NT Diocese passed a motion at its Synod last month reflecting concern by some that the PM’s plan to intervene was coming without consultation.

Bishop Thompson said everyone shares some blame that the situation had become so bad.

“It does both sides of politics and all levels of government no credit that the situation has reached the crisis it has.”

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