A mayor whose council appears to give only Christian community leaders the opportunity to open its meetings with prayers says the current practice does not favour or exclude any group.

In a letter to the Rationalist Society of Australia in September, Greg Williamson, the mayor of Mackay Regional Council in Queensland, defended his council’s meeting procedures, rejecting concerns that they breached Queensland anti-discrimination and human rights laws.

While Mackay council’s Order of Business for meetings provides for the recital of an “Opening Prayer”, the RSA has discovered that, at least in recent years, only Christian ministers appear to have performed this role.

Of the live-streamed recordings posted on the council’s YouTube channel going back to 2019 – of at least 77 general meetings – it seems that Christian figures delivered opening prayers or sermons in all, except for a few where the pastor or priest failed to turn up.

The prayers/sermons that open meetings typically go for a several minutes, with one even lasting 11 minutes. 

In September, RSA Executive Director Si Gladman asked Mayor Williamson (pictured) whether he would seek guidance from the Mackay council on the lawfulness of the practice of only featuring Christian pastors and priests.

Mr Gladman said the practice was likely unlawful as it amounted to religious discrimination under the Anti-Discrimination 1991 (Qld) and did not give proper consideration to human rights in the Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld).

Also, Mr Gladman noted that including religious rituals as part of council meetings was not authorised by the Local Government Act 2009 (Qld). Section 4(2)(c) of that act says the local government responsibilities were to be performed in a manner consistent with the principle of “social inclusion”.

He argued that the practice failed to reflect the diversity of the Mackay community, where, according to 2021 Census data, more than 46 per cent of people identified as not religious (36.6 per cent) or did not state any religion (10 per cent).

Publicly, the Mackay council spruiks a commitment to “fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion”.

In his letter, Mayor Williamson detailed the Order of Business, including the ‘Opening Prayer’ and the ‘Acknowledgement of Country’, for the opening of meetings. 

“The existence and adhesion to this provision does not favour or exclude any group or demographic and subsequently doesn’t expose council to any risk of liability for unlawful discrimination or a breach of human rights,” he said.

Mr Williamson said council was confident that its policies reflected its commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion.

Councils across Australia, including in Queensland, are increasingly considering the discrimination and human rights implications of beginning meetings with acts of religious worship.

Several Queensland councillors have, in recent years, raised concerns about the impact on human rights and have called for change.

In 2023, the chief executive of the Fraser Coast Regional Council warned his councillors that inviting only Christian figures to recite prayers would be “likely discriminatory” under the state’s anti-discrimination and human rights laws.

In August, the RSA asked the Queensland Attorney-General, Yvette D’Ath, for the government’s position on whether reciting prayers as part of local government meetings was lawful.

In late September, however, Ms D’Ath’s chief of staff said that the Attorney-General was “not able to provide specific legal advice to a member of the Public.”

The Rationalist Society of Australia is actively lobbying and advocating for prayer rituals to be replaced with more appropriate practices in councils and parliaments. See the latest updates here.

Si Gladman is Executive Director of the Rationalist Society of Australia. He also hosts ‘The Secular Agenda’ podcast.

Image: Mayor Greg Williamson (Facebook)

Letter from Mayor Williamson, 12 September 2024

Mr Gladman,

Thank you for your correspondence regarding Mackay Regional Council and our council meeting procedures.

As you referenced in your email, council is strongly committed to fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion and we are confident our policies reflect this.

Mackay Regional Council’s standing orders contain the following provision in relation to opening prayer, namely: –

1.7.1 Order of Business

• (d) Unless otherwise altered pursuant to section 1.7.1(b), the order of business for the ordinary meeting will be: − Attendance − Opening Prayer Acknowledgement of Country

The existence and adhesion to this provision does not favour or exclude any group or demographic and subsequently doesn’t expose council to any risk of liability for unlawful discrimination or a breach of human rights.

Regards

Mayor Greg Williamson

Mackay Regional Council