Community united in fight against church sales

A RESISTANCE group has been set up to allow Tasmania’s small Anglican parishes to challenge the Diocese over plans to sell their churches.

The Anglican St Martin’s church at Dunalley is one of the more than 70 churches being put up for sale. Picture: MATT THOMPSON

A RESISTANCE group has been set up to allow Tasmania’s small Anglican parishes to challenge the Diocese from a position of united strength over plans to sell their churches.

The Save Our Community Soul group is seeking to challenge the legal right to sell off assets it says are owned by those communities.

Established in Campbell Town on Thursday, it will fight the sale of churches and cemeteries as a statewide issue.

The group’s first agenda item is to approach the State Government to clear up legal issues surrounding the proposed sale of 108 properties, including 76 churches.

It is urging parishes across the state to wait for clarity and a public rally will be held in Campbell Town on August 26 to push its message.

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Northern Midlands Mayor David Downie is chairing the group.

“We challenge the church’s legal right to sell off assets owned and maintained by communities but held in trust,” Mayor Downie said. “They have no moral right but we now will challenge their legal right,” he said.

“There are many groups in Tasmania made up of parishioners and community members who are dismayed by the actions being taken by the Anglican Church.

“These people have been working locally but we are looking for a capacity to work as a collective response.”

He said while legal matters were being clarified parishioners should delay their decisions.

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The establishment of the broader resistance group comes as the Windemere community’s fundraising effort to save St Matthias Church looks to have been a success.

The community joined forces in mid-June to raise $45,000 to meet the parish’s redress commitment and save the church from being sold.

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Tasmanian Anglican Archbishop Richard Condie this week said he anticipated the fundraising effort could eventually exclude St Matthias’ from the sale list after the Diocesan Council deliberates in December. In April the church announced it would participate in the national redress scheme for victims of childhood sexual abuse and contribute $8 million through asset sales.

The deadline for community feedback on the sell-off has been pushed back from September 1 to October 1 — a move which the Anglican Diocese of Tasmania said was “in the interests of good process”.