In his Christmas message, the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne has urged the Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to take a different view on asylum seekers.
Bishop Philip Huggins says asylum seekers who come to Australia by boat are mostly young and want to contribute, and yearn for a meaningful life in a safe place.
And Bishop Huggins says instead of punishing those already living in Australia with intimidatory new codes of conduct and endless uncertainty, they should be seen as a gift to the nation.
"In the spirit of Christmas we're encouraging Minister Scott Morrison to reframe how he sees asylum seekers and to see them as a gift, and to be a gift to them," Bishop Huggins says.
"It's a gift giving time as we remember God's gift in Jesus. And we think the minister could really offer a great gift to our asylum seekers just as they can become a great gift to our country."
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Lend a hand to those doing it tough, PM says
Prime Minister Tony Abbott delivered his first Christmas message in the top job urging Australians to lend a hand to those doing it tough during the holiday season.
Mr Abbott has thanked those working for charities looking after the less fortunate on Christmas Day.
He's also paid tribute to Australians spending Christmas away from their families in the service of others.
Leaders share in Christmas spirit:
"Across our country and overseas, members of our armed forces are serving our country and our values, so I thank them for what they've done for all of us. On Christmas day, like everyday, our hospitals, our police stations and our fire brigades are ready and working," Prime Minister Abbott says.
"So I thank the nurses, the doctors, the police, the firies and the emergency services personnel who are missing Christmas lunch or Christmas dinner because they're keeping our community safe."
Followers urged to have courage of their convictions
The Archbishop of Sydney has used his Christmas message to urge Christians to have the courage to face what he's called scepticism and occasional hostility.
It comes at the end of a year in which the Catholic Church has been widely criticised for its handling of child sex abuse allegations.
But Cardinal George Pell has encouraged Christians to be good people, helping others in trouble with kindness and a smile.
"The Christ Child at Bethlehem changed everything. As Christians we need to believe this, before we can hope to encourage others to join us," Cardinal Pell says.
"Peace and goodness to all. A happy and blessed Christmas to everyone, especially those who are sick or sad."
Popularity of selfies questioned
The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney has questioned the popularity of taking selfies this Christmas.
In his first Christmas message, Dr Glenn Davies says the holiday period should be about more than taking photos of ourselves.
The Oxford dictionary has declared selfie, or taking a photo of oneself the word of the year, saying its use has increased by 17,000 percent in the last 12 months.
Dr Davies is urging people to consider others and what he calls the real meaning of Christmas.
"What is it about our society that 'selfie' is the landmark word for 2013? Many of us cringe at the self-centredness of these self-portraits, as much as the bad photography, but many 'selfies' will be taken over the Christmas period," Dr Davies says in his address.
"But at Christmas time we should remember that there is an ultimate self-image, the image of God, which far outweighs the supercilious picture of a face filling our screen."
