Weekend Wrap for 25 May 2025
Welcome to the NSL Weekend Wrap for 25 May 2025, where you can catch up on the latest secular-related news from around the country.
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At the National Level
Labor’s landslide win on May 3 left the Liberals leaderless and exposed severe tensions within the Coalition, with the Nationals faring far better than their blue colleagues and therefore demanding more power. The Liberal and National party leaders have been hashing out a Coalition agreement, which includes a review of policies. Anne Ruston – who was opposition health spokeswoman under Peter Dutton – yesterday kept tight-lipped about whether abortion was up for debate after a push from some in her party. “As far as I’m concerned, the issue of abortion is something that’s well and truly in the domain of the states and territories and should stay there,” Senator Ruston told the ABC. “But my understanding is that there is no proposal to make any changes in relation to the small amount of responsibility that the federal parliament has for this.” (18 May 2025)
Read more at The Australian
State and federal MPs around the country say they and their staff have received death threats from third parties amid controversy generated by the self-described “assertiveness” of the anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe. Howe, an expert in migration law at the University of Adelaide, has campaigned for anti-abortion laws in various state parliaments. She said on social media people “need to be hysterical” about the bill, which represented what she called “an extreme, radical takeover of our country”. In NSW parliament this week, the state Liberal leader, Mark Speakman, accused Howe of “brazen bullying”. The NSW Greens MP Amanda Cohn, who introduced the bill, told Guardian Australia she had received “threats to my personal safety” from third parties and felt her workplace had become “unsafe” for her staff. Labor’s Julia Finn accused Howe in NSW parliament last week of using “bizarre and nasty” tactics and “obnoxious, attention-seeking behaviour”. (21 May 2025)
Read more at The Guardian
In a letter to independent MPs and minor parties elected to the House of Representatives, the Rationalist Society of Australia has raised concerns about the widely reported activities of religious charities during the federal election campaign. MPs were urged to pursue reforms that stop charities from engaging in election activities that directly support candidates or parties. Registered charities are forbidden from engaging in such activity. Examples of such activity include the case of Catholic education bodies sending communications to parents and carers in their school communities cautioning them against voting for Greens and independent candidates, and the controversy over the alleged involvement of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church in staffing polling booths and making phone calls for Liberal Party candidates. (24 May 2025)
Read more at the Rationalist Society of Australia
Around the Country
QLD: The Anglican Diocese of North Queensland is on the brink of financial collapse as it struggles to pay millions of dollars in compensation to victims of child sexual abuse. Bishop Keith Joseph has revealed the diocese, which covers more than a third of Queensland, needs to find about $8 million to pay its victims. The diocese is now preparing a Supreme Court application to formally restructure so it can sell assets to pay the compensation. (19 May 2025)
Read more at ABC News
VIC: The secretive Exclusive Brethren religious sect has moved to expand its sprawling business empire with a new supermarket planned in Melbourne’s north-east to serve only church followers. A company directed by members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (PBCC) bought 25-31 Sherbourne Road in Briar Hill for $6.3 million. The PBCC is a closed conservative Christian sect that preaches a “hatred” for those outside it. This doctrine of separation has led members to develop what the church calls a “community ecosystem”, which includes entities to serve just the Brethren community. The church’s long history of attempted political influence drew fresh scrutiny recently as members campaigned for the Coalition at the 2025 federal election, despite the church barring followers from voting. (19 May 2025)
Read more at The Age
NT: LGBTIQA+ groups have joined with unions, faith and women’s organisations to call on the Territory Government to keep protections against hate speech and discrimination for vulnerable communities. A letter signed by 28 organisations was delivered to Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro in response to her government’s proposed changes to the territory’s Anti-Discrimination Act. The recently elected Country Liberal Party have vowed to ditch changes made by the former Labor government in 2022, which made it unlawful “to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate” another based on characteristics such as gender or race. Labor’s amendments also removed a clause which allowed religious groups to discriminate based on sexuality or religious beliefs. (20 May 2025)
Read more at OUTinPerth
NT: The Northern Territory Opposition has started the process of developing a private member’s bill on euthanasia, in an attempt to force action from the CLP Government, which remains mute on the topic amid another inquiry. Labor Leader Selena Uibo yesterday initiated the process of drafting a private member’s bill to legislate Voluntary Assisted Dying in the Territory. Once drafted, she said, the bill would be released for broad community consultation before returning to Parliament for a conscience vote. However, with no drafting instructions or drafter secured, it is unclear how long the process will take. (21 May 2025)
Read more at CathNews (originally published at NT News)
SA: A woman has told a court that she felt "blaming" and "shaming" by members of an Adelaide church after reporting sexual abuse at the hands of a senior member when she was 14 years old. "The response from people was only blaming and deeply shaming," she said. "I recall asking to change churches or do something about what has happened like go to the police and the responses given to me by adults were, 'what about "[the defendant] and his kids? What if he went to jail? His kids would be left behind'. (23 May 2025)
Read more at ABC News
Commentary and Analysis
Luara Ferracioli: Labor hasn’t risen above the culture wars — they’ve just adopted a more liberal way of negotiating disagreement
"Disagreements over abortion laws illustrate this point well. When one group in society sees abortion entirely as a woman’s right to reproductive health, and another as a foetus’s right to life, consensus becomes impossible. To put it bluntly, no conceivable law could simultaneously secure the fundamental rights that each group prioritises in their advocacy, which means one side will always necessarily lose in this contest. Here is the truth of the matter: if all groups in society could come together, deliberate respectfully, and reach consensus on moral, religious and cultural issues, we would not need politics. Politics is a first step toward solving the problem of pervasive disagreement over these difficult, emotive and identity-defining issues. ... So, if all political parties are parties to these conflicts, why was Labor spared from public condemnation? I suspect that Labor comes across as the party more inclined to take the interests of all citizens into account when making progress on controversial issues — to, as it were, stay neutral on controversial moral, religious and cultural matters. Or at least, Labor appears less likely to side with one group in society at the expense of another." (15 May 2025)
Read more at ABC Religion & Ethics
Phillip Hoglin: Faith in the firing line: Evidence shows military service turns people off religion
"Many religionists – especially those who have a mission of evangelising in the Defence Forces – will often throw around the old trope that there are “no atheists in fox holes”. In the heat of conflict, they like to believe, the men and women of our military embrace the supernatural. But a close analysis of national Census data suggests otherwise. ... It has been known for at least two decades that the religious affiliation of serving members of the Australian Defence Force has been decreasing. This was reinforced by the 2021 Census data that reported religious affiliation of permanent Defence members at just 42 per cent, a result followed two years later by the Australian Defence Force’s own 2023 Census that reported affiliation of 39 per cent. ... In recent years, the government has sought to expand religious-based chaplaincy as part of a pilot project at the Department of Veterans Affairs; however, the actual religious affiliation of veterans suggests that mental health and wellbeing concerns may be better approached with stronger secular support." (20 May 2025)
Read more at Rationale Magazine
Events and Campaigns
CURRENT
The Victorian Legislative Assembly’s Legal and Social Issues Committee is now accepting public submissions for its inquiry into cults and organised fringe groups, examining how they recruit and control people. Submissions are due by 31 July 2025, with the committee set to report back to parliament in late September. Make a submission here.
The NSW Law Reform Commission is reviewing the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW) and public submissions are being requested. The closing date for submissions is 15 August 2025. Learn more and make a submission at the LRC website.
ONGOING
The full videos of presentations and panel discussions from the 2023 Secularism Australia Conference are freely available for viewing on the Secularism Australia website and on YouTube!
The Australia Institute are calling on federal parliament to pass truth in political advertising laws that are nationally consistent, constitutional and uphold freedom of speech. View the petition at The Australia Institute
The Human Rights Law Centre are running a website for those who want to support an Australian Charter of Human Rights & Freedoms. Visit the Charter of Rights website here
The Australian Education Union is running a campaign calling for “every school, every child” to receive fair education funding. Support the campaign here.
The Human Rights for NSW alliance is running a campaign calling for NSW to pass a Human Rights Act.
That's it for another week!
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