Evaluating National Environmental Policy (21.7 kb)
This paper was originally prepared for inclusion in a kit of briefing papers circulated in the Uniting Church by the Assembly, prior to the 1998 Federal Election. The issues raised are, however, of continuing relevance.

 Response to the NSW Government Environmental Education Discussion Paper, 1997 (56.0 kb)
Response to the NSW Government Environmental Education Discussion Paper, on behalf of the Board for Social Responsibility, NSW Synod, Uniting Church in Australia

 Response to Future Directions for Australia's National Greenhouse Strategy (55.0 kb)
The Board for Social Responsibility responds to this paper for several reasons. First, the Uniting Church in Australia has a strong commitment to ecologically sustainable development (in Synod and national Assembly statements and resolutions, including a statement on the Rights of future generations and the rights of nature ). This flows from our belief that God created this world and all its creatures, and declared it all very good. We believe that the earth and its biosphere have value in their own right, and that they are also given to all humankind for all generations to enjoy, care for, and use as is necessary to meet human need.

 To nurture the earth or trample upon it? A biblical reflection on violence against the environment (77.7 kb)
When I attended my first Asian women's theology conference, in Singapore in 1987, I was struck by the connection some women made between the violence which men do to the environment, and the violence which men commit against women. They argued that there is a relationship between the rape of women and rape of the land.

 DRAFT 2 response to the Protection of the Environment Operations Bill 1996 Public Discussion Paper (59.6 kb)
The Board for Social Responsibility responds to this paper for several reasons. First, the Uniting Church in Australia has a strong commitment to ecologically sustainable development (in Synod and national Assembly statements and resolutions, including a statement on the Rights of future generations and the rights of nature). This flows from our belief that God created this world and all its creatures, and declared it all very good. We believe that the earth and its biosphere have value in their own right, and that they are also given to all humankind for all generations to enjoy, care for, and use as is necessary to meet human need.

 Rights of Nature and Rights of Future Generations (14.7 kb)
The Assembly resolved to adopt the resolution on the rights of nature and the rights of future generations: We believe that God, the Creator, upholds human dignity. God has created the human in the divine image. No human authority can take away or contest the dignity thus bestowed upon the human. We believe that God has blessed humanity and that God's faithfulness endures from generation to generation

 Environment and Compassion — Caring for Our Earth: Strategies for Thinking (76.1 kb)
Different strategies for different purposes. There are several different strategies for caring for our earth. Each of them is important.

 Submission to Sustainability Charter Inquiry (44.1 kb)
"Ecological sustainability is about meeting the needs of people within the limits of a finite earth. This requires that dealing with ecological issues takes place in a policy context that is also shaped by human rights and democratic processes. Sustainability requires economic decisions; these must take account of the human rights of the most disadvantaged, as well as environmental imperatives..."