Living on a prayer: it's time to separate church and state!

Today in Parliament, Abigail gave notice of a motion calling on the NSW Government to abolish the recitation of the Lord's Prayer at the start of each sitting day, a token of the past that fails to represent the rich diversity of our state.

Abigail said:

I give notice that on the next sitting day I will move:

(1) That this House affirms that people of all beliefs and backgrounds deserve to be fully represented and included in the New South Wales parliament.

(2) That this House notes that:

the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory amended Standing Order 30 on 1 June 1995 to replace the opening prayer with a moment for members to stand in silence and pray or reflect on their responsibilities to the people of the Australian Capital Territory,
numerous local councils in states and territories across Australia have replaced the opening prayer at Council meetings with alternatives such as the secular pledge, the national anthem, or a moment of silence for individual prayer or reflection,
councils who have changed their policy on opening prayer have done so in response to outcry from their local communities, legal challenges on religious rights, and a call to better represent their larger populations,
according to the ABS 2021 Census:
- the number of people who identify as having “no religion” in NSW has increased from 25.5 percent in 2016 to 33.2 percent in 2021,
- the number of people who identify with a non-Christian religion in NSW increased from 10.1% to 12.1%, and
- citizens in NSW marked “no religion” for reasons including not wanting Christian ideology to influence policy decisions,
opening with a parliamentary prayer based on a singular religion is immoral in a country that values religious diversity, and it excludes and devalues those who belong to a different religion or no religion, and
using an alternative to the opening prayer, such as a moment of silence, individual prayer, a secular reflection on duty, or rotating through prayers from a variety of religions, would cultivate more religious freedom and acceptance.

(3) That this House agrees to replace the opening Christian prayer in NSW Parliament with an alternative method that allows for more freedom of expression and sets an example of acceptance and inclusion for the people of NSW.

A UNIVERSAL WELLBEING PAYMENT FOR NSW

No matter who you are or what you do, everyone has the right to share in the wellbeing of our country.

But at the moment the essentials so many of us need – a place to call home, food on the table, and everyday essentials like electricity, internet, medicine and water – are simply out of reach.

Instead of supporting us, our government is choosing to prop up huge corporations with massive subsidies, and to give away our collective wealth through record tax cuts for the wealthy. Meanwhile, the rest of us are left to live paycheck to paycheck or trapped in the dehumanising bureaucracy of our existing welfare system.

Now, in the midst of a pandemic, and following quickly on the heels of the bushfire crisis, more of us than ever before are experiencing what it’s like to lose our jobs, be without a home, or worry about where the food for our next meal will come from.

It’s time for us to choose to prioritise the wellbeing of everyone.

And that’s exactly what the Universal Wellbeing Payment will do.

It’s a regular payment made to each of us to ensure our minimum standard of wellbeing. No means testing, no bureaucracy, no strings attached.

It’s the amount you’re owed simply for being a participant in our society.

It means you are free to live your life and contribute to society as you see fit, whether you’re a carer, an artist, a student, a parent, an entrepreneur – you can get on with what you need to do, knowing that you will always be supported regardless of your income.

It means that we’re choosing to structure our economy for the benefit of all of us, not using our collective wealth to prop up the interests of big business and the wealthy few.

It means you will always have what you need to live a good life, no matter what.

The Universal Wellbeing Payment is for everyone. Help us make it happen.

For more information, head to universalwellbeingpayment.com.au

102

3,000 signatures

Will you sign?

First Name

Last Name

Mobile phone

Home Phone

Address (Street, Suburb, State, Postcode)

Country

Join with Facebook

Join with Twitter

Living on a prayer: it's time to separate church and state!

A UNIVERSAL WELLBEING PAYMENT FOR NSW

Will you sign?

Join the Campaign

Join 51,040 other supporters in taking action