The Catholic Church in Australia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the spiritual and administrative leadership of the Holy See. From origins as a suppressed, mainly Irish minority in early colonial times, the Church has grown to be the largest Christian denomination in Australia, with a culturally diverse membership of around 5,439,268 people, representing about 23% of the overall population of Australia, according to the 2016 census.
Mission Australia is a non-denominational Christian charity that provides a range of community services throughout Australia. In 2016-17, Mission Australia employed approximately 2800 staff and 3200 volunteers, and supported more than 140,000 children, young people, adults and elderly people across 470 programs and services. The organisation specialises in the areas of homelessness and housing, families and children, early learning, youth, employment and skills, alcohol and other drugs, disability, mental health, and strengthening communities. James Toomey became CEO in November 2017, succeeding Catherine Yeomans, who served as CEO from March 2014.
St John of God Health Care is Australia's third largest private hospital operator, with 23 hospitals and facilities comprising more than 3,000 beds. The group operates in Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, and New Zealand.
Religion in Australia is diverse. Section 116 of the Constitution of Australia of 1901 prohibits the Commonwealth government from establishing a church or interfering with the freedom of religion. In an optional question on the 2016 Census, 52.2% of the Australian population declared some variety of Christianity. Historically the percentage was far higher; now, the religious landscape of Australia is changing and diversifying. In 2016, 30.1% of Australians stated "no religion" and a further 9.6% chose not to answer the question. Other faiths include Muslims (2.6%), Buddhists (2.4%), Hindus (1.9%), Sikhs (0.5%), and Jews (0.4%).As per the 2016 Census, Sikhism is the fastest growing religion in Australia which showed a 74% increase from the 2011 census followed by Hinduism(60% increase) and Irreligion(48% increase).
A public hospital or government hospital is a hospital which is owned by a government and receives government funding. In some countries, this type of hospital provides medical care free of charge, the cost of which is covered by government reimbursement.
Homelessness in Australia is a social issue concerning the number of people in Australia that are considered to be homeless. There are no internationally agreed upon definitions of homelessness, making it difficult to compare levels of homelessness across countries. A majority of people experiencing homelessness long-term in Australia are found in the large cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. It is estimated that on any given night approximately 105,000 people will be homeless and many more are living in insecure housing, "one step away from being homeless". A person who does not obtain any shelter is often described as sleeping 'rough'.
St Vincent's Hospital is located in Darlinghurst, New South Wales, an inner suburb of Sydney. Though funded and integrated into the New South Wales state public health system, it is operated by St Vincent's Health Australia. It is affiliated with the University of New South Wales Medical School.
The Benevolent Society, founded by Edward Smith Hall in 1813, is Australia's first and oldest charity. It is an independent, non-religious, not-for-profit organisation which aims to help families, older Australians and people with disability live their best lives.
Dignity Health is a California-based not-for-profit public-benefit corporation that operates hospitals and ancillary care facilities in 3 states. As such, it is exempt from federal and state income taxes. Dignity Health is the fifth largest hospital system in the nation and the largest not-for-profit hospital provider in California. Dignity Health was founded in 1986 by the Sisters of Mercy under the name Catholic Healthcare West.
Armenian Australians refers to Australians of Armenian national background or descent. They have become one of the key Armenian diasporas around the world and among the largest in the English-speaking world.
St John of God Murdoch Hospital is a 507-bed private non-profit hospital located in the southern suburbs of Perth in Western Australia, immediately adjacent to the public Fiona Stanley Hospital campus. The distance between the entrances to the emergency departments of these two hospitals is approximately 390 m (427 yd).
St John of God Ballarat Hospital provides hospital care for people living in Ballarat and Western Victoria regions.
St John of God Bendigo Hospital is a 144-bed private hospital located in central Victoria.
St John of God Warrnambool Hospital is 73-bed private hospital providing health care to the Warrnambool, south west Victorian and eastern South Australian communities.
St John of God Bunbury Hospital is a 145-bed private hospital providing health care to the south west of Western Australia.
St John of God Hospital Geraldton is a 60-bed private hospital providing health care to Geraldton and the Mid West of Western Australia.
Catholic education in Australia refers to the education services provided by the Roman Catholic Church in Australia within the Australian education system. From 18th century foundations, the Catholic education system has grown to be the second biggest sector after government schools in Australia. The Catholic Church has established primary, secondary and tertiary educational institutions in Australia. Today one in five Australian students attend Catholic schools. There are over 1,700 Catholic schools in Australia with more than 750,000 students enrolled, employing almost 60,000 teachers.
St John of God Midland Public and Private Hospitals is a health care facility in Midland, Western Australia which opened in November 2015.
The Roman Catholic Church is the largest non-government provider of health care services in the world. It has around 18,000 clinics, 16,000 homes for the elderly and those with special needs, and 5,500 hospitals, with 65 percent of them located in developing countries. In 2010, the Church's Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers said that the Church manages 26% of the world's health care facilities. The Church's involvement in health care has ancient origins.
