Assembly agencies and entities report

On Day 3 of the 17th Assembly, members heard reports from Uniting Church agencies and UCA entities including UnitingCare Australia, UCA Redress Ltd and Mercer Superannuation Trust.

UnitingCare Australia

Claerwen Little, National Director of UnitingCare Australia, spoke of the inspired people they serve and about the journey in seeking justice for all Australians, especially in this their 30th anniversary year.

The Assembly Meeting provided a unique opportunity to acknowledge the history, depth and range of social services delivered by UnitingCare and to look to its future.

UnitingCare Australia is the largest social justice organisation in the country, and its continuous story of growth and development has focused on giving voice to the Uniting Church’s commitment to social justice through its advocacy and strengthening community service provision. 

The vision of Rev Harry Herbert and Rev Brian Whitlock in establishing UnitingCare Australia 30 years ago sought to create a national voice grounded in the Uniting Church and to address important policy issues. With its intentional focus upon advocacy for social justice, it has become a trusted advisor to the government, directly engaging with Parliament.

UnitingCare Australia has been a significant contributor in confronting injustice impacting millions of lives and one that continues to work hard for those most in need.

Outgoing UnitingCare Australia Chair Geoff Batkin spoke of the primary motivation for the church to provide social services, our universal response to the gifting care of God’s love. The agency now has a diverse network of more than 1600 locations supporting more than 1.4 million people across Australia, with an emphasis on acting justly and walking humbly with God as part of the rich tapestry of the Uniting Church in Australia.

The presentation to members recognised that there are still many emerging issues for UnitingCare Australia including gambling, domestic and family violence, affordable and community housing and the cost-of-living crisis which is creating significant inequality across our society.

UnitingCare Australia has worked closely with the Act2 initiative and stressed the importance of their work as part of the Uniting Church in encouraging all citizens to participate fully in the life of our nation.

Read the report.

UCA Redress Ltd.

Sara Lim, National Director of UCA Redress Ltd, emphasised the importance when thinking about redress, that in reporting on numbers, every one of those numbers is a person with a deeply personal and painful story.

Since the end of the financial year, 1100 applications have been received for redress in relation to child sexual abuse in the church or its institutions or predecessor institutions. 600 offers of redress have been accepted with 300 finding non-liability or ineligibility or withdrawn. Fraud applications were considered rare. The average payment made was about $55,500. More than 340 offers of direct personal response were accepted.

Key achievements across the triennium included, te development of three toolkits - Direct Personal Response, Vicarious Trauma and Trauma Informed Practice, and regular training for staff across the Church, marking the each Anniversary of the National Apology to survivors of institutional child sexual abuse (22 October) and participation in and advocacy to the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee into the Implementation of the NRS and the two year legislated review of the NRS. 

Sarah said a deep understanding of the impact of trauma was important in how the church responded. The clear message from survivors was never to forget, be vigilant, and to understand the lifelong impacts and dynamics of where abuse occurs.

Urging the church to realise that the compliance process, such as Working with Children Checks, are merely a bare minimum and not a standard with which the church should be happy.

Redress has been operating for six years at the national level and the scheme will close on 30 June 2028. Based on overseas experiences, there is likely to be an increase in redress applications in the months leading to the closing date.

At the end of the report, President Rev Charissa Suli called the Assembly to a moment of silence and prayer. She prayed,

“In the stillness of our hearts oh God, we pause to remember survivors, carers of survivors who have been affected by child sexual abuse. May you hear the prayers of our hearts to bring justice, healing and reconciliation to those that have suffered.”

Read the report. 

Mercer 

Bruce Binnie, Chair of the Policy and Employer Committee of the Uniting Church in Australia Beneficial Fund, provided a summary of the fund as at 31 March 2024.

The committee, located in various parts of the country, meets three times per year and receives regular reports from Mercer as to the investment performance of the fund. The committee reports back to the Assembly Finance and Audit Risk Committee.

There are no new defined benefit members but there are opportunities for new accumulation members to join the fund. As at 31 March, the fund supports the defined benefit plan to $442.5m, and $54.5m the accumulated plan, with a total fund balance of $497.1m. The fund aims to return 3.25% above CPI and the pension increase at 1 January 2024 was 6.0%.

Responding to member questions, Bruce noted that the Uniting Church may have some exposure to investments that are not considered ethical from the church’s perspective. However, Mercer is aware of the church’s desire to comply with ethical standards of investment and is actively engaging with the church’s ethical investment policies.

Read the report.