Chapter 21: Anglican Social Responsibility and Royal Commission Funding

Socially responsible Churches cannot turn their back on grave injustices without betraying their fundamental Christian beliefs, and all Churches hasten to agree that a preferential option for the poor, disadvantaged, injured and needy exists. Australian Church activity is not limited to dispensing charity and spiritual care: Christians fill significant roles in public and legal forums, claiming to uphold Christian values, and they are judged by God, their Christian colleagues and the public on how well they do this. Fortunately, the Anglican Church in Sydney has a Social Responsibility Unit, managed by Ann Cunningham, to which all Anglicans in Sydney can make submissions and suggestions. For both parishioners and clergy, Anglican Social Responsibility covers a broad palette, and every Anglican is obliged to engage in some positive way in social justice leadership, advocacy and commentary. For instance, out of compassion for the poor, the Mother's Union supplies trained Anglican court volunteers to support poverty-stricken women and children. Mr. Hockey's Federal "austerity" Budget that we are presently coming to grips with, which appears to be driven by massive unconcern for disadvantaged Australians, struggling students, the unemployed, and asylum seekers, presents us with an opportunity to state our Christian obligations, intentions and principles firmly and unequivocally, as we have done on asylum seeker issues.

When Australian society is faced with massive systemic injustices at home, as it appears to be today, all Churches are obliged to respond swiftly and without complicity with oppression. To their credit, Anglican leaders have always done this in the past, and Australian Church members are generally not reluctant to march in street protests to make their views known. But it helps to do a little research into the issues involved before Churches act, for knowledge, and the ability to state a case well, confers power and authority. The current issue involves the Churches in a particular way, and their response will either draw many to rejoin Church congregations, or drive compassionate Christians away in disgust. I refer to the scandalous withdrawal of funds from the Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse (RCCSA). Should the Australian Churches support blocking funds to this Commission, all Christians will be deemed guiltily complicit with covering up massive institutional child sexual abuse within Churches. At a time when even the Catholic Pope Francis has insisted on zero tolerance of child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, and is bringing three formerly powerful senior clergy to justice, it is clear that the Australian Church must insist that Attorney-General George Brandis restores diverted funds to the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sex Abuse.

As I commented on Facebook today (after yesterday's announcement that previously allocated funds had been precipitately transferred from the Royal Commission to investigate Institutional Child Abuse, to the Royal Commission investigating the unhappy effects of the Commonwealth Insulation Scheme) the allocation of public funds to royal commissions has never been a competitive tender process. No Royal Commission should have to beg or bid for a percentage of government funding, in the same way that commercial corporations do. Royal Commissions are neither corporations, nor courts: they occupy the middle ground as independent investigative bodies, rendered independent by adequate and generous public funding to enable them to carry out a mandated task. The funds of Royal Commissions are allocated by the people's mandate and call, by right of law, by the social contract between people and government to maintain the public good, and as a consequence of their legal appointment to perform a particular task under particular terms. The warrant of the RCCSA is particularly strong and urgent, and all Australian Churches have committed themselves to assist the RCSSA investigations in a spirit of truth and reconciliation. The Australian Churches' commitment to protect vulnerable children from harm and expose deceitful criminals who injured children while pretending to be Christian, should be honoured and supported.

If the current Australian government has no intention of maintaining the public good by allocating adequate public funds to enable all Royal Commissions to carry out their urgent and mandated tasks, and blocks government funds in order to impede the work of commissioners, it should be held to account for failure of supply and consequent serious public injury.