However it is precisely the lack of respect for the separation of church and state and the secular democracy in which we live that is demonstrated in the Lord’s Prayer being read at the start of each day by Parliamentary Standing Order that is holding up our progression to becoming full and equal members of this society.

I have no problem with Christians serving as MPs or Senators in our Parliament provided they are prepared to put the needs of their electorates before their private religious taboos.

If Christian MPs want to pray before the start of Parliament they should by all means be given a room outside the chamber to do so, but such prayers should not be incorporated into Parliamentary proceedings in any formal manner.

If in the event of a terrible catastrophe or the like being announced in the chamber, I have no problem with the Speaker calling for a moment of quiet reflection or silence in which religious MPs might pray quietly in their seats, and non-religious MPs might reflect on said occurrence in their own quiet ways.

I have no problem that there exists a Parliamentary Christian Fellowship.

However, I do not think it is appropriate for the Government to appoint its President to an office responsible for Social Inclusion, or that the boards that report to her are so uninclusive.

As someone born in Ireland I would like to think that Ursula Stephens would know better than to support an event like National Marriage Day when it parallels so closely with one of the most ugly faces of the Irish Catholic/Protestant divide- the Orange Day Marches held on the anniversary of the Protestant king, William of Orange’s defeat of the Catholic James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

To this day, Protestant Irish “Orange Men” parade through Catholic neighbourhoods on the 12 of July in an ugly celebration of anti-Catholic triumphalism.

In the same way National Marriage Day is a hubristic celebration of a Christian victory over the GLBT population of this country and if they get their way, it will be a national celebration held every year with the endorsement of Government.

And for the record- although I do not identify with any organised religion, I am not an atheist, and were I sitting in the Parliament I would expect to be held to the exact same expectations in relation to my beliefs.

We should not campaign against reciting the Lords Prayer, or attack politicians for being part of a church/synagogue/mosque.

Faith and belief in God are not exclusive to homphobics. Let’s get back to focusing on advancing our rights.

In today’s era of religious lobbyists, our semi-separation of church and state is untenable. As evidenced by Stephens’ 2007 comments (quoted above) and the very existence of the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship, it poses an ongoing undue influence upon our polity. It allows conflicts between public and sectarian interests to go unchecked. For example, exactly whose interests are being served by Parliamentary Standing Orders which impose a daily recital of the Lord’s Prayer? What potential influence does that hold over elected representatives when they are subject to lobbying on a range of issues by adherents of that prayer? This undermines confidence in our politics. It does religion no favours either.

For starters, help end this mandatory prayer. Two petitions asking that Prayers be removed from the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives and Senate respectively are available from

Download, print and fill out a pair of petitions. For the House petition, leave the principal petitioner blank *or* only use the second page to collect signatures. Print extra pages if needed. It is important that *both* petitions are signed. The House and Senate have separate Standing Orders. The prayers are slightly different in each. The required format for Senate petitions is also different to House petitions. This all means that a separate petition is required for each chamber.

The Senate petition must be presented by a Senator. The office of Senator Bob Brown has confirmed that he will present the Senate petition on signatories’ behalf, so all that needs to be done is collect the signatures then post them back for collation and forwarding to Canberra. Originals of completed petitions (cannot be faxed or electronic copy) may be returned to:

Parliament Prayer Petitions
PO BOX U94
University of Wollongong NSW 2500

SEE ALSO:

End Mandatory Prayer in the Aussie Parliament

Aussies for Separation of Church & State

Keep God out of our democracy