Councillors who chose to have acts of Christian worship retained in formal government meetings over the option of holding prayers in private have argued that the decision was about “returning spirituality in the community” but “not about pushing any religion”.

At the October meeting of Oberon Council, located in the Central Tablelands region of New South Wales, councillors rejected a proposal to amend the Code of Meeting Practice to replace prayers with a secular statement of civic responsibilities and a period of quiet contemplation.

The council voted 6-3 to continue imposing prayers as part of its formal proceedings, with a draft of the Code of Meeting Practice now open for public feedback through the council’s website.

Councillor Ian Tucker had supported the proposal to move prayers to be held before the commencement of meetings so as to not impose religion on councillors, staff or members of the public who do not wish to take part.

“I think that’s a fair way of dealing with it so that those councillors who wish to pray or wish to consider their civic responsibilities can do so privately, but without any person’s religious beliefs being imposed upon another person, which is the case where there is an opening prayer as part of the meeting,” he said.

“Where there are councilors who wish to have a spoken prayer, as I’ve said before, then that should be conducted prior to the start of the meeting.” 

However, a number of other councillors spoke in favour of keeping prayers.  

Councillor Robert Lee argued that prayers should stay because the Oberon community “was founded on Christian values”.

“We have had prayers at state and federal governments since the 1890s. I believe we should return to spirituality in the community,” he said.

“We have a large Christian community in Oberon. They are a very combined Christian community. They send their kids to Christian schools and many other schools where Christian values are upheld.”

Typically, the council invites only Christian community leaders to conduct prayers at the opening of meetings.

Councillor Tony Alevras said it was “not about pushing any religion”.

“It’s all about taking that breath before we make a decision. And, ultimately, it affects our entire community,” he said.

“I think removing the prayer would take away the meaningful tradition that really grounds us. For me, it’s something worth keeping. A civic statement or a one-minute reflection does not carry the same gravitas.”

The Rationalist Society of Australia will be making a submission to Oberon Council as part of the public consultation on the draft Code of Meeting Practice. Submissions to the public consultation process can be made by 5 December.

Speaking today, RSA Executive Director Si Gladman urged secular-minded people living in the Oberon council to make submissions calling for prayers to be replaced with secular and more inclusive practices.

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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