Weekend Wrap for 24 August 2025

NSW: Premier Chris Minns has spoken candidly about his Catholic faith and the importance of the public celebration of Christianity in NSW. Addressing the launch of the Christian Alliance Council of NSW at Parliament House earlier this month, Minns reflected on the contribution of Christianity to public life in NSW. “It’s an important thing to celebrate and as a missionary faith, and I include myself as a member of this missionary faith, it’s our duty in many respects to stand up and celebrate Christianity, its importance to Australian life, the fact that so many people that serve in this parliament got their drive and their determination and their bearing and their forbearance from their faith, from their Christian faith,” he said. The Christian Alliance Council of NSW is a newly-formed organisation seeking to foster unity and fellowship across all Christian denominations and to renew the relevance of Christianity through faith, community, and culture. (14 Aug 2025)
Read more at the Catholic Weekly

VIC: A parliamentary inquiry considering how to outlaw coercive cult practices in Victoria has alarmed a part of the Liberal Party’s religious right that fears pastors could be criminalised and Pentecostal churches unfairly targeted. Traditional churches have also been closely watching the work of state parliament’s legal and social issues committee, concerned that religious freedoms could be eroded. Groups expressed concern that the definition of cult could be expanded “under anti-religious pressure … to include faiths that involve whole-of-life commitment, and faiths that teach unpopular beliefs (especially concerning sexuality, gender and marriage)”. The bipartisan committee is chaired by Labor MP Ella George, who said Victorians could practise their faith freely without fear. (18 Aug 2025)
Read more at The Age

TAS: The Lord’s Prayer, which opened each sitting day of state parliament, will be replaced with a short parliamentary prayer asking God to “direct and prosper our deliberations to the advancement of Thy glory and the true welfare of the people of Tasmania”. President of the Legislative Council, Craig Farrell, told the house that the change maintained parliamentary tradition and reflected contemporary values. Greens MLC Cassy O’Connor welcomed the change. “The Legislative Council has a reputation for being trapped in time, so it was good to see our chamber beat the House of Assembly in removing recitation of the Lord’s Prayer from the start of each day,” she said. “Hopefully, it’ll catch on. (20 Aug 2025)
Read more at The Mercury

WA: Public school communities across Western Australia could send a clear message to the state government this weekend that they want wellbeing support roles to be secular and directly employed through the state’s education department. Delegates attending the annual conference of the peak body representing parents of public school students, the Western Australian Council of State School Organisations (WACSSO), will consider a motion about the outsourcing arrangements for the student wellbeing roles. The motion asks for WACSSO to advocate for every public school to have “state government employed and funded wellbeing positions that are permanent, secular, professional, with direct employment by schools”. If the motion is supported, WACSSO’s advocacy for direct government employment of student wellbeing officers will pose a threat to the outsourcing arrangements for chaplaincy roles funded by the state and federal governments under the National Student Wellbeing Program (NSWP). (21 Aug 2025)
Read more at the Rationalist Society of Australia

QLD: Despite premier David Crisafulli’s wish for his party to maintain a moderate outlook, members presented a number of divisive social issues for debate this weekend. At this weekend’s state conference, Queensland Liberal National party members will debate banning gender-affirming care for children, repealing a ban on conversion practices and adopting a policy “whereby batteries, solar panels and wind turbines should no longer be deemed as renewables”. Seven separate motions reference “gender ideology”, gender-affirming care or transgender people, but the word “abortion” does not appear on the agenda for the LNP’s first convention since winning last year’s state election. (22 Aug 2025)
Read more at The Guardian