The Rationalist Society of Australia has asked Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor colleagues in the House of Representatives to address continuing discrimination against non-religious Australians.
In a letter to all Labor MPs early this week (see letter below), the RSA outlined examples of religious-based discrimination against non-religious people in government institutions and programs.
Examples include: the Defence Force’s failure to provide a non-religious pastoral care option for its majority non-religious workforces in the Army and Air Force; the practice of chaplains in the new National Student Wellbeing Program being required to have religious credentials; the imposition of daily Christian worship in parliaments and local councils across the country; and the special treatment provided to religious people but denied to non-religious people in the charities sector, with the recognition of ‘Advancement of religion’ as a charitable purpose.
In the letter, Si Gladman, the Campaigns & Communications Coordinator for the RSA, told Labor MPs that the RSA had sought a meeting with Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to discuss the ongoing discrimination.
“With the government considering a Religious Discrimination Bill, we believe now is the right time for the Labor Party to finally address all instances of discrimination and unfair treatment towards non-religious people in government institutions and programs,” he wrote.
“We urge you to advocate for the rights of non-religious and ex-religious Australians on these matters.”
In February, RSA president Meredith Doig wrote to Mr Dreyfus seeking a meeting to discuss what she described as “unjustifiable discrimination”. No response has been received.
Dr Doig said these issues were of great concern to an increasing number of Australians who identified as not religious.
“If the government is fair-dinkum about addressing religious-based discrimination, then it should consult with non-religious communities on these matters,” she wrote.
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Si Gladman is Campaigns & Communications Coordinator for the Rationalist Society of Australia. He also hosts ‘The Secular Agenda’ podcast.
Letter to Labor MPs, 18 March 2024
Dear [name of MP]
Religious-based discrimination against non-religious and ex-religious Australians continues in government institutions and programs.
To list a few examples:
- The Australian Defence Force (Army and Air Force) does not even provide the option of frontline non-religious pastoral care for service personnel, even though a vast majority of personnel are not religious. Army and Air Force instead provide religious-based chaplaincy.
- In the school wellbeing program, third-party providers for most public school youth worker positions – often called ‘chaplains’ – require applicants to have religious credentials, even though the program guidelines say the program is not a religious program.
- Parliaments and local governments across Australia ask elected representatives to observe exclusively Christian worship at the opening of each sitting day.
- In the charities system, the government gives special treatment to religious people by recognising ‘Advancement of religion’ as a charitable purpose in and of itself, while denying the same treatment for non-religious people in advancing their worldviews.
We at the Rationalist Society of Australia (RSA) have asked Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus for a meeting to discuss such discrimination against non-religious Australians.
Read our letter to Attorney-General Dreyfus here on our website.
With the government considering a Religious Discrimination Bill, we believe now is the right time for the Labor Party to finally address all instances of discrimination and unfair treatment towards non-religious people in government institutions and programs.
We urge you to advocate for the rights of non-religious and ex-religious Australians on these matters.
Regards,
Si Gladman
Campaigns & Communications Coordinator,
Rationalist Society of Australia