The Catholic Weekly 28 June 2020

catholicweekly.com.au 3 28, June, 2020 Looking for a new Job? www.catholicjobsonline.com.au VICTORIAN LIBERAL MP Bernie Finn has called for an independent inquiry into the treatment of Cardinal George Pell by the state’s police and justice systems. Mr Finn asked the Attor- ney-General Jill Hennessey to examine the role of the then- Chief Commissioner of Police Graham Ashton, as well as that of the ABC and some of its journalists to find out “how we can avoid trial by media in future, how did the Court of ¾ ¾ Marilyn Rodrigues Victoria MP urges Pell inquiry Appeal get it so very wrong and how could an innocent man in this day and age in Victoria be jailed in the way that Cardinal Pell was”. “My view and the view of a lot of people around Victoria and indeed around Australia is that the integrity of the jus- tice system in this state is very much on trial,” said Mr Finn in the Legislative Council on 18 June. “There are major questions that are desperately in need of answers. “I would like to see an in- quiry that is at arm’s length from Victoria Police, arm’s length from the judiciary and arm’s length from the govern- ment.” Mr Finn told The Catholic Weekly that it was his first op- portunity to address the issue in the Legislative Council, fol- lowing the Cardinal’s acquit- tal of all charges of historical sexual abuse in an unanimous decision by the High Court on 7 April. “I was prompted by a sense of anger over what was a mas- sive miscarriage of justice against a goodman,” he said. “You don’t have to be Catholic to be concerned about this. “If this can happen to Car- dinal Pell it can happen to anyone and it clearly reveals a major flaw in Victoria’s so- called justice system.” President of the St Thomas More Society Professor Mi- chael McAuley supported Mr Finn’s call In April a number of law ex- perts and lawyers called for an investigation into the events that brought Cardinal George Pell to the High Court of Aus- tralia which finally acquitted him. Professor McAuley, who has practised as a barrister for more than 35 years, said it was hard to see how the High Court could have come to a different decision “without serious damage to its own reputation”. It raised “very serious ques- tions” about the Victorian jus- tice system, the conduct of the police and director of public prosecutions in the matter as well as the role of the media in influencing public opinion, he said. IT’S A simple idea that shows a lot of heart: a cupboard repurposed as a communi- ty pantry to help people who need a bit of helpwith the cost of living. Located in the foyer of Mary Immaculate Church in Waverley and called the Kind- ness Cupboard, the pantry is painted in pastel pink and blue hues and holds grocery items such as tinned vegeta- bles, pasta, soup, baby food, breakfast cereal, toothbrush- es, and even new blankets and pillows. Clemintina Hartson, the founder of local charity Pro- ject Kindness, teamed up with local MP Marjorie O’Neill to provide the pantry which of- fers anonymity to the donors and those who benefit from its contents. It is available 7am-5pm, seven days a week unless it is raining. Ms Hartson, an alumni of St Clare’s College in Waverley, said the location of the pantry inside the church entrance held special meaning for her as a once-frequent visitor and she was grateful for the permission of parish priest Fr BernieThomas OFM. “Fr Bernie’s support con- tinues to be amazing,” she said. “It’s a discreet location, just on the right-hand side of the foyer, and it’s also a really wel- coming place that people feel comfortable coming to.” The eastern suburbs of Sydney are usually associ- ¾ ¾ Marilyn Rodrigues Parish cupboard offers the needy a nice little boost ated with affluence, but the Waverley council area, which incorporates the suburbs of Waverley, Bondi and Tama- rama has its share of people sleeping rough or in crisis ac- commodation or struggling to pay rent. “The increase in calls for support we’ve had since the start of the pandemic has been huge,” said Ms Hartson. “There’s definitely a big need out in the community for help with the costs of liv- ing.” The Kindness Cupboard was promoted through social media and within the first week was getting plenty of use. Ms Hartson said she would continue to review its use with a view to setting up a few oth- er community pantries in the local area if needed. Items stand ready for those who need them in the Mary Immaculate parish Kindness Cupboard. Initiator Clementine Hartson, inset. PHOTOS: GIOVANNI PORTELLI In brief Retain JobSeeker saysSVP THE ST Vincent de Paul Society has urged the Fed- eral Government to main- tain the JobSeeker and Job- Keeper payments until an expert group is established to provide advice on pay- ment rates that keep peo- ple out of poverty. In a submission to the Senate Select Commit- tee on COVID-19 and the Australian Government’s response to the pandem- ic, the society’s national council said that people on JobSeeker should not be forced back to theNewstart rates when the scheme ends in September. It is calling for either the JobSeeker rate, which gives people an extra $560 per fortnight, to be retained or the payment made to match existing aged and disability pensions, which offer anadditional $370per fortnight. The original base rate of assistance for Newstart recipients was $565.70 per fortnight. The Society is also calling for an invest- ment of at least $7.7 billion into social housing. Chief executive officer Toby O’Connor said that most people seeking sup- port during the pandemic have not accessed char- itable assistance before. “They include young peo- ple, people livingwithdisa- bility, people on temporary visas, people in casual em- ployment and internation- al students,” he said. If this can happen to Cardinal Pell it can happen to anyone and ... reveals a major flaw in Victoria’s so-called justice system.” Bernie Finn, Victorian Liberal MP NEWS