Social Action

Statement on the Middle East Crisis

On 13 February, the Australia New Zealand Unitarian Universalist Association (ANZUUA) adopted the following statement on the Middle East:

The congregations represented by ANZUUA have both a social justice obligation and
a spiritual commitment to peace and therefore call out injustice and to stand for
human rights for all.
ANZUUA therefore, condemns
a) the killing of Israeli citizens on October 7,
b) the destruction of infrastructure in Gaza, and
c) the bombardment of Gaza that has resulted in significant harm and deaths to
innocent Palestinian civilians, international and local aid workers, UN
representatives and journalists.

ANZUUA recognises that successive western governments have failed middle
eastern peoples by dishonouring past commitments to Arab leaders, and by
condemning Hamas atrocities, while failing to adequately address the unacceptable
killing of civilians by Israel. ANZUUA therefore request that individual congregations
join the ANZUUA committee in a call for government to support efforts for an
immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, to contribute to a massive process of
humanitarian relief, and to play an active role in seeking a long-lasting solution that
includes the elected representatives of Palestinians.

We recognise that in negotiations this will require Hamas to give up its objective of
destroying Israel and will require Israel to stop settlements on Palestinian land, and
to relinquish occupied lands to enable a contiguous and viable Palestinian state to
be created.

As an act of support for all the victims in this conflict ANZUUA will donate A$500 to
Médecins Sans Frontières, a humanitarian agency that is active in Gaza and that
offers medical assistance to all who seek help.

Uluru Statement from the Heart

The Melbourne UU Fellowship supports the Uluru Statement from the Heart and made a submission in support of the Statement and an Indigenous Voice to Parliament in April 2021. We also made a donation to the University of NSW Indigenous Law Centre to support their National Education Strategy to educate Australian people about the Uluru Statement from the Heart prior to the referendum. And we joined the Walk for Yes on 17 September 2023.

Climate Change

On 31 May 2023 our members joined with the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change outside the NAB headquarters in Bourke Street. This protest highlighted the Market Forces report "Banking Climate Failure" which demonstrated that, despite their climate policy, NAB continues to fund coal projects