A council in New South Wales has mandated the observance of prayers during formal government meetings after a majority of councillors rejected a proposal for prayers to instead be held during their own private time.

In March, the Port Stephens council voted in support of imposing prayers at the opening of council meetings.

The decision followed months of division among councillors and in the local community over the matter.

Three councillors had fiercely opposed the push, with debate in recent meetings often becoming heated and with members of the public gallery breaking into applause in response to speeches opposed to including prayers in meetings.

In October last year, Christian councillor Mark Watson pushed for council to re-introduce prayers into the order of business, having not been observed during the term of the previous council.

In response, Giacomo Arnott, who identified as Catholic, argued that prayers had no place in council meetings and said religious worship was a private matter for individuals.

Councillor Arnott then introduced a motion that would have enabled Port Stephens council to facilitate a private prayer session before formal council meetings for those councillors wanting to observe prayers.

Under that proposal, the council’s general manager would have invited a community faith leader to visit and lead a private prayer session outside the council chambers and before the start of formal proceedings.

“If I ever want to say a prayer, I would do so at church or in private, and I would never bring anybody into it that does not consent to being brought into it. And, councillors, I do not consent to being brought into a prayer session on the floor of the elected council here in Port Stephens,” said Councillor Arnott.

However, Councillor Watson and six of his colleagues voted that proposal down and ultimately triumphed in having prayers included in the formal part of meetings.

In response, Councillor Peter Francis, who grew up in the Anglican Church and studied theology, sought to remove the prayers at the council’s February meeting, with a motion asking that council “no longer offers up prayers to any deity”. The matter was then deferred until the March meeting, prolonging conflict over the issue.

Councillor Francis attacked the practice of imposing prayers as an “attempt to proselytise” and “evangelise”. 

“We are a community that values the inherent dignity and inalienable rights of all members of the human family,” said Councillor Francis, when speaking to his motion at the March meeting.

“Our society is a beautiful tapestry of pluralism, secularism, humanism, multiculturalism and multi faiths. This diversity is the bedrock of our freedom, justice, and peace. No-one should be subjected to evangelising or proselytising with views that are foreign to them or that they may completely reject.”

Councillor Watson argued that the prayer was “not contentious” because it referred to “God” instead of “Jesus”.

The prayer is as follows:

“Almighty God, we ask for your blessing as we meet together on behalf of our community. So that today and into the future, you would direct and favour our deliberations to advance the welfare, safety and prosperity of our region. Amen.”

Port Stephens may be the only council in recent years to successfully re-introduce acts of religious worship to meetings after a long absence.  Other attempts – such as at Wingecarribee council this year, Hawkesbury council in 2023, and Banyule council in 2022 – have failed. The Rationalist Society of Australia is not aware of any other successful attempts.

Momentum is building across Australia for local governments and state and federal parliaments to replace exclusionary prayer rituals with practices that are more welcoming and reflective of the community’s diversity. Many councils have removed prayers in recent years, while increasing numbers of politicians in state and federal parliaments are calling for change.

The Rationalist Society of Australia is actively 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.

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