The new Speaker of Queensland’s Legislative Assembly says a decision over whether to retain the practice of opening daily procedures with Christian prayers is one for serving members to make.

In a letter to the Rationalist Society of Australia earlier this month (see below), Speaker Patrick Weir said that the parliament “as a whole would need to amend and adopt new procedures” to replace the practice.

RSA Executive Director Si Gladman wrote to Speaker Weir (pictured) after the Liberal National Party member was elected to the role at the opening of the new parliament following the October election.

Earlier this month, Mr Gladman urged Speaker Weir to address the discriminatory practice of the parliament imposing exclusively Christian worship – the Lord’s Prayer – at the opening of each sitting day.

Speaker Weir said the practice of observing an opening prayer was an “established practice across most Australian Houses of Parliament”.

“In Queensland this practice of an opening prayer is determined by Sessional Orders, which are adopted by a vote of all members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland,” he said.

“Under section 9 of the Constitution of Queensland Act 2001 and sections 8 and 9 of the Parliament of Queensland Act 2001, the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly are privileged and unimpeachable by any other body outside the Queensland Parliament.”

While acknowledging that revising the Standing Orders would be a matter for members of parliament, Mr Gladman argued that MPs should at least operate in the spirit of state and international human rights and anti-discrimination laws – laws that protect the rights of religious and non-religious people equally.

He also noted that the parliament’s Code of Ethical Standards requires members of parliament to comply with Queensland’s Human Rights Act and Anti-Discrimination Act. 

The code states that members agree to treat people with “courtesy, honesty and fairness, and with proper regard for their rights, obligations, cultural differences, safety, health and welfare.” It also asks that members “…respect the religious and cultural beliefs of others,” “uphold the principles of justice and inclusion among Queensland’s multicultural society”, and “recognise and value diversity”.

“The parliament should not privilege one religious worldview. It should be a welcoming place for all citizens – whether they be elected representatives, staff members of the parliament or members of the public gallery,” wrote Mr Gladman.

“Yet, the current practice of reciting Christian prayers as part of formal proceedings is exclusionary and sends a message to many Queenslanders that they are not welcome and are not considered equal participants.”

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.

If you want to support our work, please make a donation or become a member.

Image: Pat Weir MP (Facebook)

Letter from Speaker Weir, 12 December 2024

Dear Si

I refer to your recent correspondence regarding the practice of commencing business in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland with a Christian prayer.

The practice of an opening prayer is an established practice across most Australian Houses of Parliament. In Queensland this practice of an opening prayer is determined by Sessional Orders, which are adopted by a vote of all members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland.

Under section 9 of the Constitution of Queensland Act 2001 and sections 8 and 9 of the Parliament of Queensland Act 2001, the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly are privileged and unimpeachable by any other body outside the Queensland Parliament.

For the practice to be amended, the Parliament as a whole would need to amend and adopt new procedures.

Yours sincerely

HON PAT WEIR MP

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly

RSA’s letter to Speaker Weir, 2 December 2024

Dear Speaker Weir,

I’m writing on behalf of the Rationalist Society of Australia, Australia’s oldest freethought group promoting evidence-based policy, secularism and reason. Many of our members and supporters are from Queensland.

Firstly, congratulations on your appointment to the role of Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. We wish you well in the role.

The purpose of this letter is to urge you, as the Presiding Officer, to address the discriminatory practice of the parliament imposing exclusively Christian worship at the opening of each sitting day.

The parliament should not privilege one religious worldview. It should be a welcoming place for all citizens – whether they be elected representatives, staff members of the parliament or members of the public gallery. Yet, the current practice of reciting Christian prayers as part of formal proceedings is exclusionary and sends a message to many Queenslanders that they are not welcome and are not considered equal participants.

The practice fails to reflect the rich religious and non-religious diversity of Queensland. Census figures show that a declining percentage of citizens even identify as Christian. According to the 2021 Census – which used a biased question that presumed all respondents had a religion – 41 per cent of Queenslanders identified as not religious or another secular affiliation. Significant numbers of Queenslanders also identify as belonging to non-Christian faiths.

Based on current trends, ‘No Religion’ will overtake Christianity at the next national Census in 2026 – and may reach as high as 50 per cent if the Australian Bureau of Statistics, as it is proposing to do, removes the inherent bias from the Census religion question. The parliament should modernise its Standing Orders to reflect the community that it serves.

While the contents of Standing Orders are a matter for members of parliament to determine, members should at least operate in the spirit of state and international human rights and anti-discrimination laws – laws that protect the rights of religious and non-religious people equally. Imposing religious worship in one faith tradition is at odds with human rights.

We also note that the parliament’s Code of Ethical Standards says members must comply with Queensland’s Human Rights Act and Anti-Discrimination Act, and states that members agree to:

“…treat members of the public, officers and employees of the Parliamentary Service and other public officials with courtesy, honesty and fairness, and with proper regard for their rights, obligations, cultural differences, safety, health and welfare.”

“…respect the religious and cultural beliefs of others, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

“Members agree to uphold the principles of justice and inclusion among Queensland’s multicultural society, making efforts to encourage understanding of all groups.”

“Members agree to recognise and value diversity as an integral part of Queensland’s social and economic future.”

Mr Speaker, will you advocate for reform of the Standing Orders to replace daily Christian prayers with something more appropriate and reflective of Queensland’s diverse community?

The Queensland Parliament can set a positive example for local governments to follow. Regrettably, many local councils continue to impose exclusively Christian prayer rituals in their meetings. But we note that, in recent years, momentum has been building for reform on this issue, with a number of mayors and councillors speaking out about the need for change (see this article and this one, for example). 

One option could be to follow the example of the Australian Capital Territory’s Legislative Assembly, which observes a moment of silence for members to pray or reflect according to their own beliefs.

Regards,

Si Gladman,

Executive Director,

Rationalist Society of Australia