About St James Ethics Centre
St James Ethics Centre is a fully independent, not-for-profit organisation which provides a non-judgemental forum for the promotion and exploration of ethics.
The Ethics Centre's mission is to encourage and assist individuals and organisations to include the ethical dimension in their daily lives, and thereby help to create a better world.
St James Ethics Centre has no political or religious affiliations. Learn more about the Ethics Centre's history and how its name came about.
As befits a responsive organisation, the Ethics Centre is continually evolving. However, underlying its creative and open-ended framework is a considered and consistent approach. This approach is founded on the application of a few core principles. These principles are that the Ethics Centre will ...
- be a genuinely independent organisation open to people of any (and all) philosophical or cultural traditions, whether religious or secular in nature
- act with courage, compassion and integrity
- offer practical assistance of the highest quality
- be an integral part of the community and not something removed from the ebb and flow of daily life
- base its activities on a sound theoretical foundation - translated into terms which are accessible to all
- not seek to impose its views on those with whom it works
St James Ethics Centre uses this approach to provide a secure space for individuals and organisations to explore ethical reflection and decision-making. It provides this space by way of its ethics services:
Ethics Advocacy
... allows the Ethics Centre to encourage active discussion on the ethical dimension of life and how it relates to specific issues of immediate interest and concern. Learn more.
Ethics Consulting
... assisting organisations determine the ‘gaps’ between their espoused and lived ethical commitments; review or develop their codes of ethics and conduct and we also facilitate discussion on ethical issues. Learn more.
Ethics Counselling - Ethi-Call
... providing a space for reflection and the exploration of ethical dilemmas, challenges and issues. Our Ethi-Call Ethics Counselling service - 1800 672 303 - is free, confidential and as anonymous as the client wishes it to be. Learn more.
Leadership Development
... providing opportunities for those involved in leadership to develop practices for addressing the central question of ethics - “what ought one to do?” - in their decision-making processes. An important platform in this regard is the Vincent Fairfax Fellowship. Learn more.
Ethics Training
... our three core programs, which can be customised to clients needs, are Ethical Intelligence & Good Decision-Making, Business Ethics and Requisites for a Sound Ethical Culture. We also offer accreditation for prospective ethics officers and in-house ethics counsellors as well as train-the-trainer programs. Learn more.
St James Ethics Centre works with individuals, the business world, the professions, governments, community groups and many other diverse organisations. It is widely recognised as the leading organisation of its kind in Australia. Its reputation is also growing in the international arena.
The Ethics Centre's principal support comes from membership, donations and in-kind support. Additional income is generated by undertaking ethics consulting and training, speaking engagements and sponsored activities.
If ethics is important to you and you would like to support the work of St James Ethics Centre, including this website, please consider becoming a member, making a donation and/or providing other forms of support. All donations over $2 are tax deductible in Australia.
Learn more about why our work matters.