The foreign ministry has defended Australia’s focus on religion in its bilateral relationship with Papua New Guinea but has not responded to criticism that a top diplomat exaggerated claims about the importance of faith to Australians.

In late December, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), writing on behalf of Minister Penny Wong (pictured), told the Rationalist Society of Australia (RSA) that religion was “an important part of our bilateral relationship” and that the government recognised “the central role of faith and church in Pacific communities”. 

The RSA had raised concerns with DFAT about views expressed by the High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea, John Feakes, in an opinion piece in the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier in early September – coinciding with the visit of Pope Francis to that country.

In the article, Mr Feakes claimed that:

• religion played a “central role” in “our countries and for our people”;
• Christian values were “at the centre of our moral and cultural inheritance, contributing to social harmony, to good governance and to our national commitment to treat all our citizens equally”;
• religious values brought “people together, to inspire positive change, and to build stronger, more resilient communities”.

He also claimed that Australia celebrated “different denominations and discriminated against none”.

Writing to Minister Wong and DFAT in early December, RSA Executive Director Si Gladman said Mr Feakes’ opinion piece exaggerated the importance of religion to the lives of Australians and asked whether the views reflected those of the Australian government.

Mr Gladman pointed to the sharp decline in Australians identifying as religious, with non-religious people on track to overtake Christians at the 2026 Census, and with other research showing that just over 10 per cent of Australians attend weekly religious services.

He noted that religious institutions, especially the Catholic Church, and cults have a long record of criminal activity and causing harm in communities across the country.

Also, Mr Gladman said that Mr Feake’s claim that Australia “discriminated against none” was not true, given the many instances where government institutions and programs privilege religion and discriminate against non-religious citizens.

DFAT did not respond to the questions of whether it had approved the opinion piece and whether the views reflected those of the government.

“Australia and Papua New Guinea have a deep and long-standing partnership built on cultural, historical and geographical bonds,” said Adelle Neary, Acting Assistant Secretary, of the PNG Political and Strategy Branch.

“Given the significance of religion in Papua New Guinean culture, religion is an important part of our bilateral relationship, helping us build connections and support delivery of our development programs.”

Mr Gladman also asked DFAT what it was doing to advance and protect the rights of non-religious and ex-religious people in Papua New Guinea.

If a push to declare Papua New Guinea a Christian country last year had succeeded, it could have had serious negative impacts on freedom of religion and belief, and freedom of conscience and speech.

“We note that Australian diplomacy has initiatives for engaging with faith communities in PNG – and the wider Pacific region. But it is often the case in religion-dominated societies that the rights of non-religious people and ex-religious people are most under threat,” wrote Mr Gladman.

Ms Neary said the government continued to “promote and protect freedom of religion or belief in law and practice”, and was “committed to encouraging mutual respect, understanding and tolerance among different religions and cultures”.

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

Image: Dean Calma / IAEA (Flickr CC)

Letter from DFAT, 23 December 2024

Dear Mr Gladman

Thank you for your correspondence of 5 December 2024 regarding the Australian High

Commissioner’s recent opinion piece in the Papua New Guinea Post Courier. I am replying on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon. Penny Wong.

Australia and Papua New Guinea have a deep and long-standing partnership built on cultural, historical and geographical bonds. Our diplomacy in Papua New Guinea draws on a range of tools in our bilateral relationship to strengthen and build connection. Given the significance of religion in Papua New Guinea culture, religion is an important part of our bilateral relationship, helping us build connections and support delivery of our development programs.

The Australian Government recognises the central role of faith and church in Pacific communities. Over 90 per cent of the Pacific population identify as Christians. Australia also acknowledges the significant contribution Churches make in the delivery of essential social services in health, education, women’s crisis services and humanitarian and disaster responses throughout the Pacific. In Papua New Guinea, churches deliver approximately 50 per cent of basic health services in rural areas and run half of the primary education services for local communities.

The Australian Government continues to promote and protect freedom of religion or belief in law and practice and is committed to encouraging mutual respect, understanding and tolerance among different religions and cultures, both at home and across the region.

I trust this information is of assistance.

Kind regards,

Adelle Neary

Acting Assistant Secretary

PNG Political and Strategy Branch

RSA letter to Minister Wong and Secretary Adams, 5 December 2024

Dear Minister Wong and Secretary Adams,

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

In September, we were perplexed to read an opinion piece by John Feakes, High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea (PNG), titled ‘Shared faith, shared values and shared future’, and published in the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier (4 September 2024). In the article, there were a number of questionable claims, including:

• “I am convinced of the central role religion plays in our countries and for our people.”
• “Christian values have shaped our daily life. They are at the centre of our moral and cultural inheritance, contributing to social harmony, to good governance and to our national commitment to treat all our citizens equally.”
• “The core values that all religions promote — compassion, respect, and integrity — are integral to the social and political life of both Papua New Guinea and Australia.”
• “In Australia, like in Papua New Guinea, we celebrate different denominations and discriminate against none.”
• “Religious values have the power to bring people together, to inspire positive change, and to build stronger, more resilient communities.”

The picture painted by Mr Feakes of the contribution of faith in Australia today is at odds with the reality on the ground. His claims exaggerate the importance of religion to the lives of Australians. At the next Census in 2026, Australians identifying as not religious will almost certainly surpass those identifying as Christian. Christianity is expected to fall below 40 per cent of the population, and ‘no religion’ is on track to climb well above that mark. Additionally, research shows that participation in religious activity is important to only a small and declining proportion of the Australian population, with just over 10 per cent attending weekly services.

Religious institutions have a long record of causing harm in communities across Australia, as evidenced by the criminal activities of the Catholic Church, and others, exposed in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. 

Seemingly almost every week now more and more survivors of abusive high-control religious cults such as the Exclusive Brethren and Jehovah’s Witnesses share their testimonies in mainstream media reports.

It is also not true that Australia “discriminates against none”. Last month, we wrote to the Australian Human Rights Commission detailing a number of instances in which government institutions and programs privilege religion and Christianity, in particular, at the expense of non-religious people. For example, all state and federal parliaments, and many local councils, continue to impose daily Christian prayer rituals as part of formal proceedings, despite the objections of non-Christian and non-religious elected representatives, including the current President of the Senate Sue Lines.

Were the comments made by Mr Feakes in the opinion piece approved by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade?

Do the comments reflect the view of the Australian government?

We understand that a push to declare PNG a Christian country narrowly failed this year. If it had succeeded, such a retrograde development could have had serious negative impacts on freedom of religion and belief, and freedom of conscience and speech.

We note that Australian diplomacy has initiatives for engaging with faith communities in PNG – and the wider Pacific region. But it is often the case in religion-dominated societies that the rights of non-religious people and ex-religious people are most under threat.

What is the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade doing to advance and protect the fundamental rights of non-religious and ex-religious people in PNG and, also, the wider Pacific?

The Australian community has fundamentally changed in recent decades, becoming increasingly not religious. Our nation’s foreign policy must, surely, also change to reflect the values and views of the people it serves.

Regards,

Si Gladman

Executive Director,

Rationalist Society of Australia