Following their call earlier in the year for a five per cent rise in the national minimum wage, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has welcomed the decision from the Fair Work Commission to provide a 4.75 per cent pay rise to almost three million workers. The commission has announced the national minimum wage will increase to $1004.90 per week, or $26.44 per hour, from 1 July. This ...

End Child Poverty chair, Tony Pietropiccolo AM, said child poverty is one of Australia’s most serious and persistent economic challenges. Image: Supplied. New government economic advice has revealed that child poverty in Australia is not rare with almost one in two children (45 per cent) living in income poverty at some point during childhood. The Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee’s ...

The Federal Budget has drawn a measured but hopeful response from both the St Vincent de Paul Society and Catholic Health Australia who have welcomed reforms they believe could improve the lives of Australians facing housing stress, poverty, illness and ageing. However, both organisations have also warned that much more needs to be done to ensure vulnerable people are not left behind. In a ...

As Project Compassion 2026 draws to a close, Caritas Australia has extended heartfelt thanks to communities across the country for once again uniting against poverty, with schools, parishes and supporters taking up this year’s powerful call to justice, solidarity, and hope.  Inspired by the theme Unite Against Poverty, Project Compassion 2026 drew on a poignant moment from John’s Gospe...

Listening and responding to the cries of the poor and the earth is central to the mission of the Church. That is the conclusion of the Bishops Commission for Social Justice, Mission and Service in welcoming the release of a major new international report. Australian Catholic University senior lecturer in theology Dr Sandie Cornish coordinated one of ten study groups arising out of the XVI G...

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has argued for a five percent rise in the national minimum wage. The Conference recently lodged a submission to the Fair Work Commission’s annual wage review through the Australian Catholic Council for Employment Relations, in partnership with Australian Catholic University. Such a move would provide for an increase in the national minimum wage ...

Manaini with some of the produce she is able to sell from her roadside stall. Photo: Caritas Australia. In rural northern Fiji, 44‑year‑old mother Manaini has spent years struggling to support her children on an income that barely covered daily essentials. But with support from Project Compassion and Caritas Australia’s local partner, FRIEND (Foundation for Rural Integrated Enterprises and ...

In the coastal southwest of Bangladesh, where rising seas and frequent storms threaten homes, crops and livelihoods, farmer Monoranjon is building a safer and more secure future for his family with support from Project Compassion. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, and in the region where Monoranjon lives with his wife Anita and their two children, poverty...

Caritas Australia has announced the launch of Project Compassion 2026, its Lenten fundraising and awareness appeal that attracts participation from 1700 schools and 1200 parishes across Australia annually. This year, Caritas Australia is calling on the community to Unite Against Poverty. For six weeks, schools, students, parishes and individuals are encouraged to donate, participate in T...

Unite Against Poverty. That is the theme for Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion 2026 appeal that will be officially launched on Sunday 15 February at a Mass held at St Mary’s Cathedral, celebrated by Bishop Don Sproxton, Auxiliary Bishop of Perth. This year’s appeal focusses on four stories from around the world - Tanzania, Bangladesh, Fiji, and a special emergency appeal in Gaza. ...