The Cardijn Community Australia mourns the passing of Dr. Race Mathews (1935–2025)—a visionary Australian statesman, scholar, and advocate for democratic economic alternatives. His legacy is deeply aligned with the values of Joseph Cardijn and the global lay apostolate: human dignity, solidarity, lay responsibility, and the method of See–Judge–Act.
From his service as Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Gough Whitlam to his roles in both federal and state parliaments, and later as an academic and author, Dr. Mathews was consistently motivated by a desire to build a more just and participatory society. He believed deeply in the power of ordinary people to shape their own futures—not only through political action, but through economic cooperation and shared ownership.
Champion of Cooperative Economics
At the heart of his intellectual and practical work was a lifelong commitment to cooperativism. Dr. Mathews drew inspiration from Catholic social teaching and from models like the Mondragon Corporation in the Basque region of Spain—a network of worker-owned cooperatives built on solidarity, subsidiarity, and shared prosperity. In his seminal book, Jobs of Our Own, he called for the development of a similar cooperative economy in Australia, arguing that such models offer ethical and effective alternatives to both capitalist exploitation and bureaucratic centralisation.
The Mondragon experience, founded by Catholic priest Fr. José María Arizmendiarrieta and developed by working people, is in many ways a living embodiment of Cardijn’s vision of lay-led transformation of society.
Dr. Mathews’ later book, Of Labour and Liberty, explored the tradition of distributism, drawing from the thought of G.K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc. This tradition, rooted in Christian democracy and personalist ethics, aligns closely with Cardijn’s call for workers to become protagonists of their own liberation, not merely passive recipients in an unjust system.
Through his active involvement in the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM) and his many public interventions, Dr. Mathews remained a tireless advocate for economic models that place people before profit.
Integrity in Public Life
Dr. Mathews’ long political career included roles in both federal and Victorian parliaments. As Minister for the Arts and for Community Services in Victoria, he worked to strengthen public institutions and cultural life. Even in moments of controversy—such as the so-called “Picasso affair”—his responses reflected a deep sense of public accountability.
More than a politician, Mathews was a public intellectual and lay apostle, deeply committed to shaping a more ethical and participatory society. His work was never about short-term gains or partisan victories—it was about long-term transformation rooted in values.
A Legacy Aligned with Cardijn’s Vision
As members of the Cardijn Community, we recognise in Dr. Race Mathews a kindred spirit: a lay leader who embodied the dignity of work, who trusted in the ability of communities to transform unjust structures, and who believed that economics, like politics, must be grounded in the common good.
His legacy invites us to recommit to Cardijn’s See–Judge–Act method in our own time, confronting today’s economic and ecological crises with the same depth of reflection, analysis, and action. As we build communities of hope and solidarity, we walk in the footsteps of pioneers like Dr. Mathews and the cooperators of Mondragon—believing that another world is not only possible, but already underway.
Vale, Dr. Race Mathews. May your memory inspire a new generation of lay apostles, cooperators, and builders of the Kingdom of God.
“Each young worker is worth more than all the gold in the world.” — Joseph Cardijn
“We do not build in the air… we build where people are.” — Fr. José María Arizmendiarrieta, founder of Mondragon
Further Reading and Resources
- State Memorial Service for Dr. Race Mathews
- Obituary: Monash University Publishing
- BCCM Tribute: Vale the Hon. Dr. Race Mathews
- Mondragon Corporation
- Jobs of Our Own – Race Mathews
Let us honour his memory by continuing to see clearly, judge justly, and act courageously