The Rationalist Society of Australia has urged the Albanese government to heed the findings of a new report about multiculturalism and help foster inclusion by addressing parliament’s discriminatory practices, and recognising the growing non-religious and ex-religious communities.

The Towards Fairness – a multicultural Australia for all report, released in July as part of the Multicultural Framework Review, argued that governments should foster inclusivity and combat discrimination. 

In a letter to newly appointed multiculturalism minister Tony Burke (pictured), RSA Executive Director Si Gladman said the government’s continued support for reciting Christian prayers each day in parliament was discriminatory and exclusionary.

Mr Gladman also urged the government to not privilege faith communities in its view of ‘multiculturalism’, pointing to the rapidly growing number of Australians who are ex-religious and migrants who have fled religious extremism.

He said governments typically ignored the voices of ex-religious people and non-religious people in pursuit of promoting ‘multi-faith’ initiatives.

In the letter, Mr Gladman said parliament should reflect modern and multicultural Australia.

He argued that the imposition of daily prayers made many non-religious people and non-Christian people of faith feel excluded and unable to fully participate in the formal proceedings of parliament.

“The practice of imposing exclusively Christian prayers as part of formal proceedings is anachronistic and fails to reflect the religious and non-religious diversity of the Australian community,” he said.

Mr Gladman referenced the Towards Fairness report in saying that governments, entities, communities and individuals were responsible for fostering inclusivity and diversity. It said:

Fostering inclusion and belonging necessarily involves actively combating discrimination to create an environment where everyone is valued and respected.”

Governments must ensure that policies and laws uphold and protect diversity; communities must actively engage in inclusive practices; everyone has a role in creating an accepting, safe and open environment.

Since coming to power, the Albanese government has ignored pleas from some of its own members of parliament to remove daily Christian worship as part of formal parliamentary procedures.

In 2022, the President of the Senate, Sue Lines, an atheist, was forced to continue reading the prayers even though she said she did not want to.

The late Peta Murphy held silent protests each day outside the House of Representatives during the recital of Christian prayers.

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

Image: Tony Burke MP (Facebook)

Letter to Minister Burke, 30 July 2024

Dear Minister Burke,

I’m writing on behalf of the Rationalist Society of Australia, which is Australia’s oldest freethought organisation promoting reason, secularism and evidence-based policy.

Following the release of the report for the Multicultural Framework Review, Towards Fairness – a multicultural Australia for all, we wish to raise a couple of important issues that we hope you, as the new Minister for Multicultural Affairs, will consider.

Australia is proudly a multicultural society, made up of people of all kinds of cultural, faith and non-religious backgrounds. While the report notes high public support for multiculturalism, it highlights the ongoing challenges of fostering inclusion and belonging, and combating discrimination. We urge the government to address the following issues to help Australia overcome these problems.

Prayers in parliament

Every day when it is in session, the Commonwealth Parliament sends a message to non-Christian Australians that they are not welcome. The House of Representatives and the Senate begin formal proceedings by asking all in attendance to stand for the recital of exclusively Christian acts of worship – being two prayers, including the Lord’s Prayer. 

Many non-religious people and non-Christian people of faith feel excluded and unable to fully participate in the formal proceedings. Indeed, a number of elected representatives wait outside the chambers while the prayers are recited. In 2022, the Labor Party forced President of the Senate, Sue Lines, an atheist, to continue reading the prayers even though she said she did not want to. 

The practice of imposing exclusively Christian prayers as part of formal proceedings is anachronistic and fails to reflect the religious and non-religious diversity of the Australian community. At the next Census in 2026, the proportion of Australians marking ‘No religion’ is expected to surge above 40 per cent, while Christianity is set to decline to between 30-40 per cent.

The authors of Towards Fairness – a multicultural Australia for all argued that governments should foster inclusivity and combat discrimination. The report said:

Fostering inclusion and belonging necessarily involves actively combating discrimination to create an environment where everyone is valued and respected.

The responsibility for fostering inclusivity and diversity extends beyond individual entities to encompass governments at all levels and communities and individuals. Governments must ensure that policies and laws uphold and protect diversity; communities must actively engage in inclusive practices; everyone has a role in creating an accepting, safe and open environment.

The parliament should be a secular institution, where people of all faiths and people of none feel included and able to equally participate. Parliament should reflect modern and multicultural Australia.

Minister, will the Albanese government advocate for removing discrimination from parliamentary procedures by replacing prayers with something more inclusive and welcoming for all?

Non-religious and ex-religious people

An inherent problem about discussions of ‘multiculturalism’ is that, often, the views of faith communities are privileged, leading to policymakers pursuing solutions through a ‘multi-faith’ lens. Yet, this ignores the large and growing sections of society that are non-religious and ex-religious.

Non-religious and pro-secular groups – such as rationalists, humanists, atheists – have vibrant communities and they contribute to society in positive ways. With the rapid decline of religious affiliation in Australia, many people are now forming ex-religious communities – such as ex-evangelical groups – for companionship and support. 

Regrettably, there are not enough well-resourced services to help these people deal with the years and decades of religious trauma that they may have endured – including the psychological abuse and even physical or sexual abuse involved in some faith communities and religious cults.

Among many migrants to Australia are ex-religious people seeking safety from the religious fundamentalism of their former countries, where, for example, apostates may face threats to their lives and women may have few freedoms. Indeed, through our network, we have heard of the ongoing dangers that ex-Muslims who have rejected Islam continue to face from Muslims in Australia. These people are among the most vulnerable in our communities, yet their voices are typically ignored by governments that are focused on promoting ‘multi-faith’ initiatives.

Minister, will you ensure that the Albanese government gives equal treatment to non-religious people and ex-religious people, alongside religious people, in its plans for promoting multiculturalism?

Regards,

Si Gladman

Executive Director,

Rationalist Society of Australia