The Rationalist Society of Australia has again asked the Albanese government for confirmation on when non-religious Defence personnel will be able to access non-religious frontline wellbeing support.

In a letter to Minister of Defence Personnel Matt Keogh (pictured), RSA Executive Director Si Gladman said it was time for the government to get on with the job of modernising and secularising Defence’s wellbeing support capability.

The Army and Air Force still only provide religious-based chaplaincy – and, increasingly, Pentecostal and evangelical Christians – to attend to the needs of their majority non-religious workforces, even though the Navy undertook secular reform in 2020 to provide a non-religious option.

In 2022, Minister Keogh’s office told the RSA that the Army and Air Force would “examine the lessons” of Navy’s initiative to introduce secular roles, with a review due to be completed in 2024. 

In his letter (see below), Mr Gladman noted that a review completed in 2024 found “strong demand” among Navy personnel for the secular roles.

“We urge the Albanese government to now direct the three services of the Defence Force to undertake full modernisation of their frontline wellbeing capabilities to ensure all personnel have access to appropriate wellbeing support – in particular, non-religious options,” he wrote.

“Can you confirm for us when non-religious personnel in the three services – Army, Air Force and Navy – will have access to non-religious frontline wellbeing support?”

For a number of years, the RSA has been advocating for secular reform of Defence’s religious-based chaplaincy model, arguing that religion puts up barriers to many personnel seeking wellbeing support.

As reported by the RSA last year, official Defence data show that a majority (61 per cent) of Defence personnel are not religious, with Christianity at just 34 per cent.

Also, Defence data show a staggering gap in the level of support for religious personnel compared to non-religious personnel. The ratio of Christian chaplains to Christian Defence personnel is 1:134, while the ratio for non-religious pastoral carers to non-religious personnel is 1:11,992.

In his letter, Mr Gladman informed Minister Keogh that the RSA viewed the matter as one of fundamental human rights and intended, therefore, to raise it this month in a submission to the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) (Fourth Cycle) into Australia’s human rights.

The RSA has asked on a number of occasions Mr Keogh the question of when non-religious personnel in Army and Air Force would have access to non-religious frontline wellbeing support, but he has not replied. 

In response to questions in the Senate and at the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide about the appropriateness of Defence’s reliance on chaplaincy, Army and Air Force leaders have, in recent years, suggested their services could consider following the Navy’s model.

When the Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal approved the introduction of Navy’s secular roles in 2020, a footnote in the ‘Decision document’ said Army and Air Force “do not intend to make any changes to their respective Chaplaincy workforces.”

The chaplaincy branches of the Army and Air Force have been embroiled in scandals and controversy. Mid last year, Mr Gladman told Minister Keogh that the public and military personnel were losing confidence in the chaplaincy branches and Defence’s reliance on chaplains to provide frontline wellbeing support.

The Rationalist Society of Australia is actively lobbying and advocating for secular reform of the Defence Force. See the latest updates here.

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

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

Letter to Minister Keogh, 4 July 2025

Dear Minister Keogh,

I’m writing on behalf of the Rationalist Society of Australia (RSA) in regards to an issue that we have raised with you on multiple occasions in recent years – that is, Defence’s failure to meet the wellbeing needs of its people due to the lack of non-religious frontline wellbeing support for its majority non-religious workforce.

In 2022, your Chief of Staff told us that the Army and Air Force would “examine the lessons” of Navy’s initiative to introduce secular roles, with a review due to be completed in 2024.

As reported by us last year, that review found “strong demand” among Navy personnel for the secular roles.

We urge the Albanese government to now direct the three services of the Defence Force to undertake full modernisation of their frontline wellbeing capabilities to ensure all personnel have access to appropriate wellbeing support – in particular, non-religious options.

While Navy now provides a handful of secular wellbeing support officers in its chaplaincy branch, Army and Air Force do not provide any.

According to Defence data, there is a staggering gap in the level of support for religious personnel compared to non-religious personnel. The ratio of Christian chaplains to Christian Defence personnel is 1:134, while the ratio for non-religious pastoral carers to non-religious personnel is 1:11,992.

Worryingly, Army, Air Force and Navy are increasingly relying on Pentecostal and evangelical chaplains. As we know from evidence to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, the religious nature of the frontline wellbeing capability puts up barriers to many personnel seeking support.

In an article on the Pearls & Irritations publication last year, the former head of Navy chaplaincy, Collin Acton, argued that, in not pursuing secular reform, Army and Air Force were disregarding the needs of non-religious members, which posed an “inexcusable risk to the health and wellbeing of our serving personnel”.

We view this as a matter of fundamental human rights. As such, we are raising it this month, as an example of discriminatory and unfair treatment against non-religious people, in a submission to the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) (Fourth Cycle) into Australia’s human rights.

We note that Army and Air Force leaders have, in recent years, told Senate estimates and the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide that their services would consider contemporising their frontline wellbeing support capabilities.

Now is the time for the Albanese government to get on with the job of modernising and secularising Defence’s wellbeing support capability.

Can you confirm for us when non-religious personnel in the three services – Army, Air Force and Navy – will have access to non-religious frontline wellbeing support?

We would appreciate an opportunity to discuss this issue with you further.

Regards,

Si Gladman

Executive Director,

Rationalist Society of Australia