Culture of Australia - Religion

Religion

Australia has no official state religion and Section 116 of the Australian Constitution prohibits the Commonwealth government from establishing a church or interfering with the freedom of religion. According to the 2006 Australian Census, 63.9% of Australians were listed as Christian. Historically, this proportion has been higher and a growing proportion of the population define themselves as irreligious, with 18.7% of Australians declaring 'no-religion' on the census. There are also growing communities of various other religions in Australia and 11.2% of people did not answer the question on the census. From the early decades after federation, people from diverse religious backgrounds have held public office. The first Jewish Governor General, Isaac Isaacs, was selected by the first Catholic prime minister, James Scullin, in the 1930s. In recent times, some prime ministers have identified as religious, others as non-religious.

Among Christians, the largest proportions were either Roman Catholic (25.8%) or Anglican (18.7%), with the third largest group being the 5.7% affiliated with the Uniting Church. Most other major religious faiths are also practised in Australia, reflecting the cultural diversity of the nation.

At the time of Federation in 1901, 97% of Australians professed to be Christians and Christianity has had an enduring impact on Australia. The Anglican Church (formerly Church of England) remained the largest denomination until 1986, when it was surpassed by the Roman Catholic Church. Australian Catholics were predominantly of Irish origin until post-world war two immigration brought more than a million Catholics from Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Germany, Croatia, Hungary and elswhere. The Christian festivals of Christmas and Easter are national public holidays in Australia and Christian charitable organisations, hospitals and schools have played a prominent role in welfare and education since colonial times. In 2008, 697 000 Australian children (20% of total students) attended Catholic schools, and 750 000 attended church affiliated schools more generally (some of these being independent Catholic schools). Christian organisations such as the St. Vincent de Paul Society, the Salvation Army and Anglicare provide high profile social services throughout Australia. Christians have played a prominent role in Australian history. Historically significant Christians include preachers David Unaipon, the first Aboriginal author, and the Reverend John Flynn, who founded the Royal Flying Doctor Service; both feature on Australian banknotes. Suffragette Catherine Helen Spence was not only Australia's first female political candidate, but also one of its first female preachers. Mary MacKillop, who co-founded an order of nuns in the 19th century, called the Sisters of St. Joseph, became the first Australian to be canonised as a Catholic Saint in 2010, and Sir Douglas Nicholls, a preacher and Aboriginal rights activist was the first indigenous Australian to be appointed Governor of an Australian State.

The proportion of the total population who are Christian fell from 71% in 1996 to around 64% in 2006, while people affiliated with non-Christian religions increased from around 3.5% to 5.6% over the same period. Buddhism increased most rapidly from 1.1% to 2.1%. Increased immigration from South-East Asia has been a major factor in this growth, but Australians of Anglo-Celtic origin have also shown increasing interest in Buddhism. Islam increased during the period from 1.1% to 1.7% with diverse communities concentrated mainly in Sydney and Melbourne. The history of the Jews in Australia dates back to 1788 and the Jewish convicts brought to Sydney aboard the First Fleet. Today, an estimated 120,000 Jews reside in Australia, many of them originating as refugees and Holocaust survivors who arrived during and after World War II. Hindus came to Australia as labourers and merchants during the 19th century and numbers increased dramatically from the 1960s, more than doubling between 1996 and 2006 to reach 148 000 people.

The tradition and spirituality of Aboriginal Australians places great emphasis on the role of tribal Elders in passing down stories of the Dreaming, and skills and lessons for survival (such as hunting and tracking). The creation story and belief system of the Aboriginal tradition, known in English as the Dreamtime, reverences the land and the animals and spirits that inhabit the land and animals. European settlement introduced Indigenous Australians to Christianity, especially through 'missions'. There was a wide range of experiences of the 'missions' by Aboriginal people.