Opinions are always changing, particularly on such a topical issue as should Australia be a republic? However, it is interesting to look at responses to a survey in 1993 and the relationship of answers to religious identification and behaviour.

Why did Australia not manage to make any progress in the fight
against poverty over the decade despite falls in unemployment and
steady economic growth in that period? (Harding, Lloyd and Greenwell
2001)
The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty was held on
October 17 2002 as part of the Uniting Nations Decade for the
Eradication of Poverty 1997-2006. This article will review some
current research on the state of the Australian labour market, income
inequality and poverty in Australia. Government reforms proposed by
the Brotherhood of St Lawrence will also be considered.

Historically, in both Britain and Australia, welfare provision as been perceived as the moral responsibility of the state. While some have considered assistance as the right of those less fortunate, government welfare policy has shifted away from this perception towards one of the mutual obligation of citizen and state. While this position might seem entirely reasonable, its expression through recent policy has arguably not always been in the interests of either welfare recipients or Australian society. Given the churches crucial role in social justice (both through local programs and denominational agencies) the outcomes of policy have a direct impact on the operation of welfare and church organisations.
This article draws on Reforming the Australian Welfare State (Australian Institute of Family Studies, Melbourne, 2000), edited by Peter Saunders, previously the research manager of the Australian Institute of Family Studies. This book contains a variety of contributions written from various perspectives and drawing on various research and organisational and academic perspectives. In particular, reference to British and United States examples serve to contextualise Australian policy within the broader social and economic climate. The aim of this article is to present some current issues in welfare provision, especially in the area of labour force participation, and the implications this has for recipients of welfare and for society. Some likely effects on the churches and other charitable organisations will also be explored.

What follows is a precis of the Presidential address given at the 2001 conference of the Australian Association for the Study of Religions, Melbourne, July 2001. A more detailed version can be found in Australian Religion Studies Review 14(2) 2001 pp 5-16. ‘Blackleg Churches’ forms part of a longer study by Marion Maddox, For God and Country: Religious Dynamics in Australian Federal Politics (299pp., Canberra: Department of the Parliamentary Library 2001), available from The Parliament Shop, Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600, telephone (02) 6277 5050; fax (02) 6277 5068. Retail price A$20.00

Reflections on Vincent Miller, Consuming
Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture.

From Pointers, Volume 16. Number 4. December 2006.