杏MAP导航

By Lisa Zengarini

Australian voters are set to head to the polls on May 3  to decide who will lead the next government, with incumbent Prime Minister Anthony Albanese seeking re-election to a second term for the Labor Party against opposition leader Peter Dutton, leader of the centre-right Liberal-National Coalition. The two leaders held their first public debate  on Monday evening, 7 April.

Cost-of-living, housing, as well as access to healthcare, immigration, crime and climate action, are the main issues of the electoral campaign underway amid economic struggles, international uncertainty and political polarisation.

An  opportunity to advance the common good and pave the way for hope

Ahead of the ballot, the Australian Bishops have issued an urging Catholic voters to become “people of hope,” inspired by the Jubilee Year’s theme, and to recognize their role in shaping the moral and social direction of the nation.

 “The Jubilee reminds us that voting is not just a civic duty but an opportunity to advance the common good and pave the way for hope”, they wrote.

Polarisation erodes social cohesion

Lamenting the troubling rise in polarisation within Australia’s political discourse which they say “erodes social cohesion”, and in recent months has even turned to violence, the Bishops reaffirm their strong condemnation all forms of hatred and discrimination, particularly anti-Semitism that that has arisen also in Australian society as a result of the ongoing war in Gaza and the Middle East.

Against this backdrop,  the Bishops insist on the importance of resolving conflict through democratic means rather than through violence or intimidation, reminding voters that “No politician or political party can ever solve every issue or serve as a perfect representative.”

Central to the Bishops’  message is the emphasis on a well- formed conscience that should guide how Catholics vote ensuring that their decisions uphold what is true, good, and just.  “As Catholics, they say “we have an obligation to form our consciences through reason, Sacred Scripture, and Church teachings so that, in the words of St. Paul, we ‘put on the mind of Christ.’

Key ethical and social issues Catholics should consider

The statement highlights some key ethical and social issues that Catholics should reflect upon before casting their votes. They include upholding the sanctity of life from conception to natural death; support for families; religious freedom and conscience rights; responsible stewardship of God’s creation, promoting the common good, and fostering  a just society “where all Australians can thrive.”

A prayer included at the end of the statement invokes Christ's guidance over the nation and its  diverse peoples and to transform their lives through His grace.

The principles of Catholic Social Teaching

The Australian Bishops conclude by reaffirming four foundational principles of the Catholic Social Teaching: human dignity, promoting the common good; subsidiarity which requires that the people or groups most directly affected by a decision or policy should have the key decision-making role in its development and solidarity, which “acknowledges that humans are social beings who make up one human family and have responsibilities to each other despite national, racial, cultural, economic and ideological differences.