Radio Interview: Luke Beck on ABC Perth – Prayers in Parliament
Radio ABC Perth: NSL ambassador Luke Beck appears on Mornings with Nadia Mitsopoulos to discuss the legality of reciting prayers in council meetings. (7 April 2021)
The mayor of Joondalup, WA, Albert Jacob (a former minister), then called into the program to offer his response (audio in playlist above).
Mayor Jacob incorrectly states that prayers in local government should be acceptable because of a line in the preamble in the Constitution, "humbly relying on the blessing of Almighty God" (the Constitution defines the powers of federal parliament only; local government powers are defined by the Local Government Acts in each state); he justifies continuing to have a prayer on the basis that "the city of Joondalup has had a prayer at the start of the council meeting since there was a city of Joondalup", and insists that his council must have a religious prayer in their meetings:
Nadia Mitsopolous (in reference to the prayer currently recited in Joondalup council meetings): If you took out the reference to God, because it doesn't necessarily represent everybody's faith, would you be comfortable with that -- without the reference to God?
Albert Jacob: No, because that's a secular prayer. It is neither meant to be sectarian nor secular.