The Rationalist Society of Australia has asked the presiding officers of the federal parliament whether they will consider the human rights impact of imposing daily acts of Christian worship.

In a letter to Milton Dick, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Sue Lines, President of the Senate, the RSA said the practice of observing Christian prayers each day was inconsistent with Australia’s international commitments regarding the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

RSA Executive Director Si Gladman wrote that the House of Representatives and the Senate should aspire to set an example for the community by upholding human rights norms and Australia’s international human rights commitments.

He informed them of the Rationalist Society of Australia’s submission to the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (Fourth Cycle) which raised the issue as an example of discriminatory and unfair treatment against non-religious people in government institutions and programs.

Mr Gladman asked whether Mr Dick and Senator Lines whether they would consider the human rights impact and seek legal advice on whether the practice breached Australia’s international human rights commitments.

“[The practice] alienates many people and erects barriers to equal participation in a public institution,” he said.

Both Mr Dick and Senator Lines have been re-appointing to their roles as presiding officers, having held the position during the first term of the Albanese government.

On becoming President of the Senate in 2022, Senator Lines called for change to the practice, saying that as an atheist she did not want to have to recite the prayers.

In 2023, a Liberal-National MP told Christian radio that Mr Dick – a Christian – had been instrumental in having prayers retained as part of the Standing Orders in the House of Representatives.

In recent months, the RSA has raised this issue with a number of Labor, Greens and independent members of parliament, and also Prime Minister Albanese, urging them to pursue change early in the new term of federal parliament. 

In recent years, thousands of Australians have signed petitions, including to the parliament and another by the RSA, calling for the removal of prayers from parliaments.

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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