RSA Weekly For atheists, rationalists and secular humanists in Australia
Saturday 31 May 2025 Hi , A support group for ex-cult members has spoken of its hope that the Victorian parliamentary inquiry into cults and fringe groups will help raise awareness about harmful practices and
drive change to hold such cult and fringe groups accountable. The article by SBS (see below) also highlights our advocacy work in calling on states and territories to address coercive control in cult groups. 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 WA Labor has support to remove prayers from state’s upper
house28 May: The West Australian Parliament’s upper house would be able to remove the practice of imposing daily Christian prayers that appeal to the “creator of the universe” if the Labor Party’s representatives in the chamber decided to support the proposal. The Rationalist Society of Australia understands that enough members of minor parties and the crossbench would provide Labor with the numbers to remove the prayers or replace them
with something more appropriate. Read the full article |
| CATHOLIC WEEKLY Threat “looming” for NSW religious freedoms 30 May: Christian leaders in New South Wales have warned of a “looming battle” for the freedoms
of private schools after the state’s Law Reform Commission released a review of the 1977 Anti-Discrimination Act. The 267-page report is a consultation paper which canvasses opinions on a range of issues, including whether the anti-discrimination act should allow schools, religious and non-religious, to select personnel who support their values. Read the full article |
| ABC Critics say new UK police guidelines concerning stillbirths and abortions are fuelling a 'culture of hostility' 30 May: Guidelines issued by a leading
UK police body have paved the way for investigators to inspect women's period tracking apps and search their homes following a stillbirth. The divisive advice says police can do so if they believe the pregnancy loss was the result of an abortion outside of legally permitted circumstances. Read the full article |
| THE AGE Turnbull’s reflection on a former colleague 30 May: At a book launch at the State Library of Victoria, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull spoke
about his Catholic religion and religion in politics: “I’m always incredibly suspicious of politicians who love their own religiosity.” Read the full article |
| ABC Man almost dies after allegedly taking partner's VAD drugs at Gold Coast University Hospital 29 May: Queensland's voluntary assisted dying (VAD)
procedures have been "tightened" after a man nearly died allegedly taking the drugs his partner had just used to end her life. The incident at the Gold Coast University Hospital's VAD unit earlier this month is currently under investigation, Queensland Health has confirmed. Read the full article |
| NBC Texas Gov. Greg Abbott plans to sign Ten Commandments bill after Senate approval 29 May: A Texas bill that would order the Ten Commandments to be
displayed in all public school classrooms was advanced by the state Senate on Wednesday, sending the legislation to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk after the House of Representatives passed an amended version Sunday. Read the full
article |
| THE GUARDIAN Prosecuting man for burning Qur’an ‘reintroducing blasphemy law’, UK court told 29 May: Prosecuting a man for burning the Qur’an is
“tantamount to reintroducing a blasphemy law” in Great Britain, a trial has heard. Hamit Coskun, 50, shouted “fuck Islam”, “Islam is religion of terrorism” and “Qur’an is burning” as he held aloft the burning Islamic text outside the Turkish consulate in London on 13 February. Read the full article |
| THE AGE Christian pastor from Andrew O’Keefe rehab arrested over alleged fake drug records 28 May: A Christian pastor who founded a controversial drug
rehabilitation centre for men accused of serious crimes – which once treated former game show host Andrew O’Keefe – has been arrested and charged with faking reports about patients’ drug use. Read the full
article |
| THE AUSTRALIAN (VIA CATH NEWS) Think tank launches project to ‘combat’ antisemitism, religious discrimination 26 May: A three-year landmark project to
“analyse and combat” antisemitism and other religious discrimination has been launched by the Centre for Independent Studies, describing it as an issue “too pervasive and urgent to be left to government alone”. Read the full
article |
| SBS The new move to expose the insidious tactics of Australia's cults25 May: Tore Klevjer has seen the destruction done to the lives of many people who have become part of a cult in
Australia. The president of Cult Information and Family Support Australia is hoping an inquiry into the tactics of cults and fringe groups will bring awareness of the harm such groups are causing and drive change to hold the groups accountable. Read the full article |
| THE AGE Unholy workplace row brewing in state’s Catholic schools25 May: A messy workplace dispute is brewing between teachers at Victoria’s Catholic schools and their employers, with
the educators’ union threatening Fair Work action to enable its members to take industrial action. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN Macron’s party moots banning headscarves in public for under-15s22 May: Emmanuel Macron’s centrist political party has suggested banning girls under 15 from wearing the
Muslim headscarf in all public places, as the president chaired a high-level government meeting to discuss what it called “political Islamism” in France. Read the full article |
| MELBOURNE ANGLICAN Right place, right person, right time: Airport chaplain15 May: Melbourne Airport’s senior chaplain Martyn Scrimshaw said the airport understood how vital the
faith-based chaplaincy team was both to staff and travellers. “I’m in a place where I don’t have to convert anybody. But what I hope I do is leave a little seed that person will go away with. At the end of the day…God gets me in the right place to the right person at the right time.” Read the full article |
In an online lecture, Daniel James Sharp, editor of The Freethinker, presents on the emergence of ‘New Theism’. The concept relates to the “rise of a new counter-Enlightenment that defends religion, and Christianity in particular, based on its social value rather than because it is true”. What do you think? Email your comments to: sigladman@rationalist.com.au |
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| RATIONALE What gives you the right to an
opinion? Ian Robinson: Opinions loom large in the contemporary world. They inform people’s behaviour. They lead to actions which seriously affect both individuals in particular and society in general. Everybody has opinions. Many people claim that they have a right to their opinions – that they are somehow entitled to them. It is incumbent upon us to understand what an opinion is and to form an opinion about the
concept’s merits and limitations. Read the full article |
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| RATIONALE Can we find common ground between moderate
leftists and ‘wokists’? Hugh Breakey: A.C. Grayling’s new book Discriminations: Making Peace in the Culture Wars sees the renowned philosopher wading into the ethical minefields of ‘woke’ activism, cancellation, and conservative backlash. Filled with thoughtful analysis, deep reflection, and fascinating historical detail, Discriminations argues the differences between leftist moderates and ‘woke activists’
centrally concern means rather than ends. Read the full article |
| THE CONVERSATION Conservative influencers have brought angrier anti-abortion politics to Australia Prudence Flowers: After two decades of
abortion decriminalisation across Australian states and territories, there has been a sudden surge of anti-abortion activity online, in the streets and in parliaments. This month, major anti-abortion protests occurred in New South Wales as politicians voted to pass a bill to improve access to abortion care for pregnant people in rural areas. Read the full article |
| THE AGE The ongoing menace of forced marriage in Australia Melissa Fyfe: Nesreen Bottriell, chief executive officer of the Australian Muslim
Women’s Centre for Human Rights, says she feels authorities overly target the Muslim community on this issue and fail to consider other religions and communities. She says forced marriage is not religiously sanctioned by Islam. “It’s about power and control over women’s decision-making.” Read the full article |
| ABC What voluntary assisted dying options are available for those with dementia? Emily JB Smith: John Griffiths suspects his mind is starting to
fail. It is a horrifying prospect for the father-of-three, former Monash University engineering lecturer and CSIRO research scientist. Although voluntary assisted dying will be legal in every Australian jurisdiction except the Northern Territory by the end of this year, it remains entirely off-limits for people with dementia. Read the full article |
| ABC Three decades after the NT first legalised voluntary assisted dying, Territorians are still waiting on change Joseph Hathaway-Wilson: For
Steve, every day is more painful than the last. After four-and-a-half years of medical treatment, the cancer that originated in his lungs is still spreading, while a tumour in his neck bleeds a half-a-litre of blood a week. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN Pakistan sends ‘important signal’ of hope in a gloomy world of pushbacks on women’s rights Sarah Johnson and Shah Meer Baloch:
During last week’s tense debate over whether the Pakistan senate should pass a bill banning child marriage, Naseema Ehsan stood up to speak. “I got married at 13 years old and I want child marriage to be banned,” said the 50-year-old senator. “I was lucky to have good and affluent in-laws but most Pakistani women are not so lucky. Not every child has a supportive husband like me.” Read the full article |
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