RSA Weekly For atheists, rationalists and secular humanists in Australia
Saturday 5 April 2025 Hi , We welcome the positive news from Victoria, where the state parliament this week established a committee inquiry to examine "cults and organised fringe groups" in Victoria, with a
particular focus on the "methods used to recruit and control their members and the impacts of coercive control". In recent months, we have been urging all states and territories to expand coercive control laws to cover cults and high-demand religious groups. We provided comments to investigative journalist Richard Baker for his article in The Age (see below). We're hopeful that the
Victorian inquiry will encourage action in other jurisdictions. If you'd like to share your thoughts about articles in the RSA Weekly, email me on sigladman@rationalist.com.au. Si
Gladman Executive Director, Rationalist Society of Australia |
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| RSA Pursue reform of charities system in the next parliament, RSA
urges independents and minority parties4 Apr: The Rationalist Society of Australia has urged independent parliamentarians and minor parties to pursue reform of Australia’s charities system during the next term of parliament in order to restore public confidence and improve accountability and transparency. In a letter to independent and minority parties this week, the RSA outlined three key reforms that it wanted to see: removal of the
‘Basic Religious Charities’ category; removal of “advancement of religion” as a charitable purpose; and removal of tax concessions enjoyed by commercial enterprises owned by religious charities and where business activities were unrelated to the charitable purpose. Read the full article |
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| RSA RSA calls on re-elected WA government to support removing prayers
from parliament1 Apr: The Rationalist Society of Australia has called on the re-elected West Australian government to use the opening of the new term of parliament to remove acts of Christian worship that commit elected representatives to “advancing the glory” of a creationist god. In a letter to Premier Roger Cook the RSA urged the state government to modernise the Standing Orders of both houses of the parliament to address the imposition
of Christian prayers. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN Relief and excitement as NSW ban on gay conversion practices comes into effect 4 Apr: On Friday, a little over a year after the New South
Wales Conversion Practices Ban Act was passed with bipartisan support, the ban comes into effect. Under the NSW legislation, people who deliver or perform conversion practices that cause substantial mental or physical harm face up to five years in jail and taking someone out of NSW to deliver “conversion therapy” carries a jail sentence of up to three years. Read the full article |
| CATHOLIC WEEKLY NSW parliamentary inquiry into pornography begins hearings 4 Apr: A New South Wales parliamentary inquiry into the impacts of pornography
on mental, emotional, and physical health has begun hearings. The committee is reviewing 79 submissions from the community, including from the Catholic Women’s League NSW, and the Council of Catholic School Parents. Read the full article |
| THE AGE Controlling cults face parliamentary spotlight amid push for new laws 3 Apr: How cults and “organised fringe groups” recruit and coercively control
their members will be examined in a Victorian parliamentary inquiry. A referral to the Legal and Social Issues Standing Committee passed state parliament’s lower house on Thursday. Rationalist Society of Australia executive director Si Gladman said common practices within religious cults and high-demand groups, included shunning, prohibition on young people pursuing tertiary education, financial coercion and restrictions of women, posed a danger to the “fundamental rights and freedoms of many
Australians”. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN US anti-abortion group expands campaign in UK 3 Apr: A rightwing US group backing an anti-abortion campaigner whose case has become a new
source of UK tensions with the Trump administration is significantly expanding activities and spending in Britain. The UK branch of Alliance Defending Freedom increased spending on campaigning and other activities in the UK to more than £1m last year. Read the
full article |
| THE AUSTRALIAN (VIA CATHNEWS) Catholic schools call for ‘ideological’ national curriculum to be scrapped 3 Apr: Catholic Schools NSW has called for the
“ideological” national curriculum to be abolished, as new research reveals more boys are slipping behind girls in their academic performance. Catholic Schools NSW chief executive Dallas McInerney said every Australian school should be able to use the newly released NSW syllabus instead. Read the full article |
| AUSTRALIAN JEWISH NEWS $18 million for JAQ, no matter who wins election 3 Apr: The federal government has announced an $18 million funding commitment to
the Jewish Arts Quarter (JAQ) in Elsternwick, Melbourne. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Macnamara MP Josh Burns unveiled the significant contribution on Monday, describing the investment as “overdue” recognition of Jewish Australians’ contributions to the nation. Read the full article |
| THE AGE Hate speech laws pass parliament as Liberals claim freedom of speech is at risk 2 Apr: People who engage in hate speech in Victoria will face up to
five years in prison under landmark new laws that critics say will stifle free speech. The long awaited anti-vilification laws expand protections beyond race and religion to include factors such as gender, sexuality and disabilities. Read the full article |
| ABC Dutton could exert funding influence over schools, but curriculum a can of worms 2 Apr: Peter Dutton could act almost immediately to withhold funding
from schools deemed to be pushing political "agendas" if he wins the election, but he would encounter hurdles changing the curriculum and would risk a costly spat with state governments and the education sector. Read the full
article |
| THE GUARDIAN Labor accuses Dutton of copying Trump with suggestion children being ‘indoctrinated’ at school 1 Apr: Responding to questions about a “woke
agenda” in curriculums, the opposition leader suggested students were being “indoctrinated” at school – a move Labor has described as being pulled “from the Doge playbook”. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN Rightwing groups across US push new bans to limit ‘obscene’ books in libraries 1 Apr: Rightwing groups around the US are pushing legislation
that would place new limits on what books are allowed in school libraries in a move that critics decry as censorship often focused on LGBTQ+ issues or race or imposing conservative social values. Read the full article |
| VOXY (NZ) Review of charity tax status sparks debate over churches’ role and economic impact in New Zealand 31 Mar: A government review into the tax-exempt
status of business activities carried out by New Zealand charities has ignited a complex debate, particularly focusing on the role and financial contributions of churches and other religious organisations within the country’s sprawling non-profit sector.Read the full article |
| ABC NSW Catholic school principals' 'pilgrimage' to Europe for Jubilee criticised 30 Mar: A European "pilgrimage" by dozens of New South Wales Catholic
school principals later this year has come under criticism for being "tone deaf" to parents' cost-of-living struggles. Principals across Sydney's north and Central Coast will take part in the 10-day trip, part of the church's Jubilee celebrations. Read the full article |
| CNA Archbishop credits Cardinal Pell’s intercession for miraculous survival of Arizona toddler28 Mar: Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney this week credited the apparently miraculous
survival of an Arizona toddler to the intercession of Cardinal George Pell. According to the newspaper The Australian, Fisher said at a book event on March 26 that he had learned that an 18-month-old boy had been discharged from a hospital in Phoenix after going 52 minutes without breathing following a fall into a pool. Read the full article |
In late March, RSA Executive Director Si Gladman spoke to 5MU Radio in South Australia about the Rationalist Society of Australia’s push for the state government to abolish sacrilege and blasphemy laws. What do you think? Email your comments to: sigladman@rationalist.com.au |
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| RATIONALE A veteran’s view of Anzac
Day Grant Palmer: I served in the Australian Army for close to thirty years. I joined at the age of 17 years and went to Duntroon. My family was proud, middle-class and conservative. We had a good, loving home. My family didn’t really understand, though, that I had to leave to escape stifling religion. The excellent public school education they had given me had also made me realise that religion was irrational and
evil. Read the full article |
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| RATIONALE Letters to the Editor: Support for scripture
program highlights bias of politicians John Barrell: In reference to your article about Special Religious Education (SRE) in public schools (RSA Weekly, 29 March 2025, ‘NSW Labor government backs Liberal-National MPs in praise of scripture program’), it just shows just how biased our politicians are toward especially Christianity. Read the full Letters column |
| ABC RADIO What impact will religion have on the 2025 election? In an election campaign dominated by cost-of-living pressures, energy supplies, and an
assertive China, is there any room for religion as a political issue? Andrew West interviews Professor Joshua Roose of the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation. Listen to the full episode |
| ABC RADIO What place do sacrilege laws have in 21st century Australia? In 2025, in a country that’s now minority Christian, a South Australian man who
allegedly broke into a church faces a charge of sacrilege. It’s an offence many probably thought had long disappeared from the law. The Ethics & Religion report interviews Dr Renae Barker, a senior lecturer specialising in law and religion at the University of Western Australia. Listen to the full episode |
| THE AGE St George Pell? Now that would be a miracle Thomas Keneally: To hear of a little boy’s survival is a matter of unambiguous celebration.
I found it hard, however, to take seriously the claim that it was thanks to Pell’s intercession. That is because I had recently read an article by Louise Milligan in The Monthly, which nominated a number of Pell’s alleged victims of abuse. Read the
full article |
| AAP NSW abortion bill would not force shutdown of all Christian hospitals Soofia Tariq: All Christian and Catholic hospitals will not be forced
to close if they refuse to perform abortions under proposed NSW laws, despite claims online. Experts say the Abortion Law Reform Amendment (Health Care Access) Bill 2025 does not apply to private hospitals, including the majority of Christian and Catholic hospitals. Read the full article |
| THE CONVERSATION Research shows that a majority of Christian religious leaders accept the reality of climate change Stylianos Syropoulos: Nearly
90% of U.S. Christian religious leaders believe humans are driving climate change. When churchgoers learn how widespread this belief is, they report taking steps to reduce its effects, as we found in our research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read the full article |
| THE CONVERSATION Christian Zionism hasn’t always been a conservative evangelical creed – churches’ views of Israel have evolved over decades Shalom
Goldman: During confirmation hearings, Mike Huckabee, President Donald Trump’s nominee as ambassador to Israel, told senators that he would “respect and represent the President,” not his own views. But the Baptist minister’s views on the Middle East – and their religious roots – came through. Read the full article |
| THE CONVERSATION America the secular? What a changing religious landscape means for US politics David Campbell: After climbing for decades, the
percentage of Americans with no religion has leveled off. For the past few years, the share of adults who identify as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular” has stood at about 29%, according to a major study the Pew Research Center released Feb. 26, 2025. But this hardly means that the “nones,” or their impact on American life, are going away. Read the full article |
| THE CONVERSATION As ‘right to die’ gains more acceptance, a scholar of Catholicism explains the position of the Catholic Church Mathew Schmalz:
An individual’s “right to die” is becoming more accepted across the globe. Polls show that most Americans support allowing doctors to end a patient’s life upon their request. Assisted suicide is now permitted in 10 U.S. states and in Washington. In 2025,five more states are set to consider “right to die” legislation. Read the full article |
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