Annual Report 2022
This year we focused on consolidating aspects of the operation of FABC. Some of the issues that we addressed here included:
- membership: in South Australian and Queensland there were no functioning Buddhist Councils, and therefore no members for FABC. However with Anna Markey from the previous South Australian council still available to work with FABC we welcomed them as Associate Members, noting that as such they were not eligible to take part in any votes. We attempted to engage former members of the Queensland Buddhist Council, but this was not successful. The Councils which were active in the FABC were therefore Western Australia, Victoria and New South Wales.
- Authorized Marriage Celebrant Coordinator: after some discussion we accepted an offer from Kevin Dickinson to continue in this role, for a fee of $500. Unfortunately he had to resign later in the year. We will continue to search for someone for this role.
- the website. Jake Mitra oversaw the reviving of the website, which is now working well.
One of the issues that has concerned us during the year is the fragmentation within the Buddhist community, with its multiplicity of schools and cultures, and its low profile compared to some other faith groups. We discussed this with the Australian Sangha Association, and have planned a joint meeting to review this together and look for opportunities for stronger collaboration between the organisations. Other issues taken up with the ASA included providing input into their proposed Ethical Framework and the perennial problem of monastics seeking visas to live/teach in Australia. We have also discussed this informally with the Hindu Council, and may wish to work together on the issue.
Opportunities to highlight the Buddhist community and its contribution included obtaining letters of goodwill for Vesak from the Prime Minister, the Minister for Immigration and the Leader of the Opposition. We attended the Parliamentary Interfaith Prayer Breakfast and were represented at the induction into the Navy of its first Buddhist chaplain, Simon Edda. We intend to focus more in 2023 on strengthening engagement with government and other faith groups, starting with a letter to the major national interfaith groups to highlight FABC and our role.
We advocated and took public positions on several issues during the year.
- On child safety we endorsed policies on being a National Child Safe Buddhist Organisation and endorsed an Oath Against Harm. These are now on our website.
- On religious discrimination we endorsed the submission from the Buddhist Council of NSW to the Legal and Community Affairs Committee and the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights.
- On climate change we joined the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change and signed their letter from faith leaders to the Prime Minister. There is also an FABC member on their committee.
We supported a funding application from Dr Anna Halafoff for a pilot research project into ‘Dying Buddish.’ We are now part of the Advisory Committee for the project, and look forward to supporting a further application for funding once this pilot is complete.
Overall, 2021/2 was a year of consolidation. We look forward to reaching out more actively in 2023 within the Buddhist, interfaith and overall communities. I would like to thank my fellow members for their work on the committee, and look forward to working together in 2023.
Gawaine Powell Davies
President, Federation of Australian Buddhist Council
26/11/22