Micah Challenge Australia Blog

 

The Micah Challenge blog is a space for discussion and debate about the issues of global poverty, faith, advocacy and justice and the Millennium Development Goals. This blog aims to provoke thought and challenge you to learn more about the issues discussed. We welcome your comments.

Micah Challenge is a global campaign of Christians speaking out against poverty and injustice. Click here to visit the Micah Challenge website.

  • Voices for Justice 2014 Day 2

    Posted by Benton

    22 June, 2014

    One of the really wonderful things about Voices for Justice is not just the diverse collection of voices but also that those who work in developing countries are front and centre of the gathering. Day 2 started with an invigorating panel discussion with Dereje Alemayehu (Chair, Tax Justice Network - Africa), Tagolyn Kabekabe (Pacific Facilitator, Anglican Alliance), and John Beckett aka JB (National Director, Micah Challenge Australia). Dereje spoke to us about tax justice and explained with great clarity the reasons why tackling tax dodging is so important and why the G20 in Brisbane this year is such an immense opportunity to affect change for the global poor. He also shared that for every dollar entering Africa, there are currently three dollars leaving Africa – such is the magnitude of this issue and the magnitude of harm being done to poverty reduction. Tagolyn spoke to us about the impacts of climate change in the Pacific and the current slow pace of action to reduce emissions and commit resources to climate change adaptation. This is a topic… read more

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  • Voices for Justice 2014 Day 1

    Posted by Benton

    22 June, 2014

    It’s Day 1 and I arrived to a rather crisp Canberra morning for my third trip to the nation’s capital and also my third Voices for Justice (having previously been a part of V4J 2009 and 2011). It’s really special travelling from Brisbane to Canberra knowing that each time I arrive it’s to participate in a challenging and yet encouraging 4 days with a huge band of Jesus following prophets and activists from a tapestry of Christian faith traditions. I came to V4J this year because I want to engage with my local politicians on why tax dodging is so harmful to the poorest in our world, because I believe that advocacy works and that Jesus calls us to speak up against unjust systems in our world for the sake of the poor. I am also convinced that Voices for Justice is an incredibly powerful forum for recalibrating our lives (and our activism) around the way of Jesus and if you haven’t ever been, I would encourage you to make the trip! Voices started, as it always does, with a stirring welcome from Vikki Howorth and a wonderful time of… read more

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  • Shining the Light on tax dodging and corruption

    Posted by John

    18 June, 2014

    About 8 years ago my predecessor in Australia, the wonderful Amanda Jackson, had an idea to take a bunch of ordinary Christians from different backgrounds and denominations to Parliament House in our nation’s capital city to meet face to face with our nation’s political leaders. People told Amanda she was crazy. ‘Lobbying is for professionals’ they said. Eight years on, Voices for Justice, our annual national gathering for Micah Challenge Australia, is now widely regarded as one of the best campaigning events in the country. On 23-24 June this year 220 ordinary Australians will once again split up into groups and meet face to face with more than 100 politicians over a period of two days. Each year, as Voices for Justice approaches, we think strategically about the message we need to convey into our Parliament. This year the choice is simple. We believe we need to use Voices for Justice to shine the light on tax dodging and corruption, which is draining more than $160 billion out of developing nations. This is money that is rightfully… read more

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  • Treasure Islands

    Posted by Salome

    28 May, 2014

    Nicholas Shaxson is a full-time writer for the Tax Justice Network, and has written a book called Treasure Islands, which is an incredibly interesting and informative exposé on tax havens; how they came about, why they came about, and to what degree they have shaped our modern economic history. After reading the book, I can say with confidence that a tax havens have shaped everything about our modern economic context, in ways that you cannot even imagine. I have provided some key points from Treasure Islands which I found interesting, and which hopefully will give you a better understanding about why we have an entire Shine the Light campaign focused around tax justice. Crime One of the key defining features of a tax haven is it’s foundation of secrecy and complete lack of transparency. This is a problem because if there is one thing that thrives in secrecy, it’s the criminal underworld. And we aren’t talking only about white collar crimes like embezzlement, which is what you typically think of when you hear the words tax evasion. The… read more

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