Damon Mcknight
Australia has no official state religion. Section 116 of the Australian Constitution prohibits the federal government from establishing a state religion or religious observance, and no religious test can be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth. The country has a diverse range of religions and spiritual beliefs, with Christianity being the most common, followed by Islam, and a growing number of people identifying with no religion at all. The relationship between the Australian state and religion is complex, with ongoing debates around the role of religion in the public sphere and the proposed Religious Discrimination Bill, which aims to prohibit religious discrimination.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Official Religion | Australia has no official religion |
| Religious Affiliation | Christianity is the most common religion with 43.9% of the population identifying as Christian |
| 38.9% of the population reported having no religious affiliation | |
| 7,887 people were recorded as practising Australian Aboriginal traditional religions | |
| Religious Tests | Section 116 of the Constitution of Australia prohibits the federal government from establishing a state church or religion or requiring a religious test as a qualification for any office or public trust |
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What You'll Learn
- Australia's constitution bars the government from imposing a state religion
- The country is described as secular, with a separation of state and religion
- Christianity is the most common religion, but its following is declining
- There is a growing number of Australians with no religious affiliation
- Religious freedom laws are being drafted to prohibit discrimination
Australia's constitution bars the government from imposing a state religion
Australia has no official state religion. Section 116 of the Australian Constitution states:
> The Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth.
This means that the Australian government cannot impose a state religion or religious observance, nor can it prohibit the free exercise of any religion. Additionally, no religious test can be required for someone to hold public office. While Section 116 does not prevent individual states from making such laws, in practice, federal governments have respected it and allowed the free practice of religions.
The religious composition of the states and territories varies, with Christianity as the most common religion in Australia, at 43.9% of the population as of the 2021 Census. There is a growing trend of Australians who do not identify with any religion, at 38.9% in 2021, up from 30.1% in 2016. The percentage of people practising Aboriginal traditional religions was 7,887 in 2021, with the highest number in the Northern Territory.
The Australian state-religion relationship is complex, with an ongoing debate about the role of religion in the public sphere. The federal government has proposed religious freedom and anti-discrimination legislation, which has been criticised for not explicitly recognising a positive right to freedom of religion and for potentially weakening protections for LGBTQIA+ people. The eventual shape of this legislation will significantly impact the state-religion relationship in Australia.
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The country is described as secular, with a separation of state and religion
Australia has no official state religion. Section 116 of the Australian Constitution prohibits the federal government from establishing a state church or religion. It states:
> The Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth.
The nature of Australian secularism and the state-religion relationship is complex. While the country is described as secular, with a separation of state and religion, there is no explicit "separation of church and state". Federal governments have generally respected Section 116 and allowed the free practice of religions. However, the states of Australia are not precluded from making laws that impose a religion.
In recent years, there has been an unprecedented level of public interest in and disagreement over religion and its place in Australian society. The federal Religious Discrimination Bill, which was introduced in 2021, has been a subject of intense public debate. The bill's primary purpose is to prohibit religious discrimination. However, opponents argue that it could lead to further discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community. The bill's statement of belief clause, which overrides state and territory anti-discrimination law, has been particularly controversial.
While Christianity remains the most common religion in Australia, there is a growing trend of people who no longer belong to any religion. In the 2021 Census, 38.9% of Australians reported having no religious affiliation, an increase from 30.1% in the 2016 Census. The religious composition of the states and territories varies, with the Northern Territory having the highest number of people practising Aboriginal traditional religions.
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Christianity is the most common religion, but its following is declining
Australia does not have an official state religion. Section 116 of the Australian Constitution states:
> The Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth.
Christianity is the most common religion in Australia, with 43.9% of the population identifying as Christian in the 2021 Census, down from 52.1% in 2016. The major Christian denominations, in order of size, are Catholic, Anglican, Uniting Church, Eastern Orthodox, Presbyterian, Reformed, Baptist, and Pentecostal. 30% of Australians identified as either Anglican or Catholic in the 2021 Census.
However, the number of Christians in Australia is declining. In the 2021 Census, almost ten million Australians said they did not belong to any religion, an increase of almost two million from the previous census. Younger Australians are more likely to have no religious affiliation, and civil celebrant marriages are becoming more common than religious ceremonies. While the Christian faiths are in slow decline, there has been steady growth in other religions, including Islam.
The religious composition of the Australian states and territories varies. The federal government has released draft religious freedom legislation, which aims to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religious belief or activity in public life. However, some groups have criticised the legislation for not explicitly recognising a positive right to freedom of religion and for potentially weakening protections for LGBTQI+ people. The role of religion in the public sphere is a subject of ongoing debate in Australia.
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There is a growing number of Australians with no religious affiliation
Australia has no official state religion. Section 116 of the Australian Constitution prohibits the federal government from establishing a state church or religion. It states:
> The Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth.
The nature of Australian secularism and the state-religion relationship is complex. While there is still a large proportion of people in Australia who identify with an organized religion, there is a growing number of Australians with no religious affiliation. In the 2021 Census, 38.9% of the population reported having no religious affiliation, compared to 30.1% in the 2016 Census. This trend is particularly pronounced among younger age groups, who are more likely to hold secular or spiritual beliefs. The Christian faiths in Australia are in slow decline, while other religions, such as Islam, are growing.
The religious composition of the states and territories varies. In the Northern Territory, for example, 3,437 people were recorded as practising Aboriginal traditional religions in the 2021 Census, the highest number in the country. The Dreaming, or spirituality of Aboriginal Australians, is a significant aspect of their culture and continues to shape their law, customs, art, stories, and dance.
The Australian state-religion relationship is the subject of ongoing public debate and legislation. The federal Religious Discrimination Bill has been the subject of intense public debate, with opponents arguing that it could lead to further discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community. The bill's primary purpose is to prohibit religious discrimination and shape the future of the Australian state-religion relationship.
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Religious freedom laws are being drafted to prohibit discrimination
Australia has no official state religion. Section 116 of the Australian Constitution states:
> The Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth.
While Section 116 does not prevent individual states from making such laws, in practice, federal governments have respected Section 116 and allowed the free practice of religions.
In 2019, the Australian government released draft religious freedom laws with the stated aim of prohibiting discrimination on the basis of religious belief or activity in key areas of public life. The draft legislation also proposed the creation of a new office for the Freedom of Religion Commissioner within the Australian Human Rights Commission. This was in line with a pledge by Prime Minister Scott Morrison to enact religious freedom legislation.
The draft legislation was met with criticism from some religious groups, who felt that it did not adequately protect religious freedom. These groups were concerned that the laws did not explicitly recognize a positive right to freedom of religion and that they provided inadequate protections for religious groups engaging in commercial activities. Some civil society groups also expressed worry that the draft legislation would give too much weight to religious views and weaken existing protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTI) people.
The government invited submissions on the first exposure drafts of the three bills, collectively known as the legislative package on religious freedom, from August to October 2019. After addressing the feedback, the Prime Minister and Attorney General invited comments on the second exposure draft of the bills from December 2019 to January 2020. The final Religious Discrimination Bill 2022 ensures that Australians are protected from discrimination on the basis of religious belief or activity, just as they are protected from discrimination based on age, sex, race, and disability.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Australia has no official state religion. Section 116 of the Australian Constitution prohibits the federal government from establishing a state church or religion.
In the 2021 Census, Christianity was the most common religion, with 43.9% of the population identifying as Christian. However, this was a decrease from 52.1% in the 2016 Census, and the percentage of Australians with no religious affiliation continues to grow.
There is a diverse range of religions practised in Australia, including Islam, Paganism, Aboriginal traditional religions, and Jainism, which is the fourth fastest-growing religion in the country.
