Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, Sunday 8 November 2009
9.00 am – Bringing them home
Human Rights Commissioner Catherine Branson has demanded the Rudd Government stop detaining “boat people” on Christmas Island, arguing they should not be penalised because of their method of arrival. Former federal treasurer Peter Costello has echoed the Howard Government’s line, insisting that all claims for refugee status be made offshore, through the normal channels.
Who is right? As Jesus reminds us in the parable of the Good Samaritan, the most unlikely people can become our neighbours, and challenge our values and our virtues.
The tension between justice and mercy, in this case, needs to err in favour of compassion. I hope the Rudd Government will extend both its compassion, and its vague commitment to social inclusion, to genuine asylum seekers arriving by boat, in the full knowledge that they bring their baggage with them – literally, culturally and psychologically.
Mr Rudd, champion of faith in politics, who is your neighbour? I’m Rod Benson for nswchurches.com
12.00 pm – Melbourne Cup after the dust settles
The Productivity Commission recently published an interim report on gambling, receiving the usual support from independent MPs and the churches, and criticism from clubs and pubs, while the state government looked the other way. The report makes many useful recommendations, especially on management of poker machines. But pokies are only part of the problem.
Now the dust has settled on Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup, and the once-a-year punters have gone home, reality bites. For 364 days of the year, as Anthony Sharwood observed recently, racing is no more glamorous or less monotonous than the pokies. And, like the pokies, it’s primarily a solo pursuit. And with 24/7 borderless online access, it’s a deadly trap.
Sharwood believes “internet gambling is dangerous in ways we haven’t even begun to imagine … the new frontier of chain-you-to-the-chair gambling.”
We must hold our state government accountable for its failure to act to curb problem gambling. I’m Rod Benson for nswchurches.com
5.00 pm – Margo Lanagan’s new novel
A novel by Australian author Margo Lanagan has won the World Fantasy award for best novel. Tender Morsels has been described as “funny, tragic, wise, tender and beautifully written,” but also dismissed as “sordid wretchedness.” It’s a young adult novel that reworks the classic fairy tale of Snow White and Rose Red.
Its dark and disturbing themes are bound to attract criticism. The author has responded by questioning the assumption that children have the luxury of an innocent childhood. Her aim, she says, was to equip readers for life by showing them “the sorts of issues other people encounter.”
One of the tragedies of 21st century life is the loss of juvenile innocence we once took for granted. A discerning reader once said, “Some books are not for me, and some are not for me now.” Margo Lanagan’s Tender Morsels is a case in point. I’m Rod Benson for nswchurches.com
