RSA Weekly Saturday 1 November 2025 Hi , Since the Minns government established its New South Wales Faith Affairs Council, providing faith leaders with direct access to government decision-makers while blocking non-religious
leaders from the same opportunity, we've had serious concerns about the influence of this body. Add to that our concerns about transparency over what it has been up to (see top article). 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
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| RSA RSA calls for transparency over the work of privileged NSW faith
advisory body29 Oct: The Rationalist Society of Australia has called on the New South Wales government to publicly release the minutes of its Faith Affairs Council in a timely manner to ensure transparency over the advisory body’s activities. The RSA made the request in a letter to the Minister for Multiculturalism Steve Kamper last week, arguing that the public should not be “kept in the dark” regarding the work of the religious leaders
on the Faith Affairs Council. Read the full article |
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| RSA Councillors push back against Christian activists’ attempts to
re-introduce prayers27 Oct: Councillors at two local governments in Victoria have emphatically pushed back against attempts to reinstate Christian acts of worship in government meetings, successfully arguing that religion should not be privileged. Christian activists appeared at council meetings at the Bass Coast Shire and the Moyne Shire Council, pressuring them to return prayers to the opening of formal meetings. Read the full article |
| NEWS Former pastor linked to The Potter’s House breaks silence: ‘They believe in marrying them young’ 1 Nov: A former pastor of an ultra-strict Pentecostal
sect operating in Australia, one described by former members as having cult-like practices, has broken his silence. Adam*, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is “still a committed Christian attending a Bible-based church”, lashed the Potter’s House, its leadership and the bizarre rules it imposes on followers. Read the full article |
| THE AGE Nazi warning as threats rise against election candidates 31 Oct: The nation’s neo-Nazis are trying to get into a more “political space”, the
Federal Police has warned, amid claims the May election was the most violent on record as intimidation and threats at polling booths were recorded across the country. Also, submissions to the inquiry said Plymouth Brethren Christian Church volunteers directed “verbal aggression” at people representing other political parties. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN New Orleans sexual abuse victims approve $230m Catholic church settlement 31 Oct: In a nearly unanimous vote, hundreds of victims of child
sexual abuse by clergy and other church creditors approved a $230m bankruptcy settlement with the Roman Catholic archdiocese of New Orleans by a midnight deadline on Thursday. Read the full article |
| ABC New ACT law expands liability of institutions for the crimes of paedophiles 30 Oct: The ACT has become the first jurisdiction to pass legislation
expanding the liability of churches, sporting groups and other organisations to include the actions of paedophiles. The legislative change followed the High Court’s decision that the Catholic Church was not vicariously liable for the actions of a paedophile priest. Read the full article |
| ABC Melbourne Dhamma Sarana temple head monk found guilty of sex offences against six girls 30 Oct: A senior Buddhist monk has been found guilty of
historical sex offences against six girls at a Melbourne temple. A County Court jury on Thursday ruled Naotunne Vijitha, the head monk at the Dhamma Sarana temple in Keysborough, committed the offences between 1994 and 2002. Read the full
article |
| SBS 'Rosaries off our ovaries': Coalition MPs face growing criticism over abortion claims 30 Oct: Greens leader Larissa Waters has demanded several male
backbench Coalition MPs, accused of conflating stillbirths and late-term abortions, withdraw from a debate on proposed leave entitlements. "How about they get their rosaries off our ovaries," she said. Read the
full article |
| SMH Hastie, Joyce ignite late-term abortion fight over paid leave for stillbirth law 29 Oct: Four Coalition MPs have renewed a debate over “late-term
abortions” in federal parliament, raising concern that laws guaranteeing paid leave for parents of stillborn children will be used by mothers whose pregnancies are terminated. Andrew Hastie and Barnaby Joyce aired the issue during debate over ‘Baby Priya’s Bill’. Read the full article |
| THE AGE Assisted dying reform passes lower house 29 Oct: Voluntary assisted dying reform has passed the lower house of the Victorian Parliament to applause
and embrace. The bill will now move to the upper house, where it faces a much narrower path to pass. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN Victorian Labor forced to rely on One Nation and others to pass voluntary assisted dying bill after factional split 29 Oct: Labor MP Iwan
Walters repeatedly referred to voluntary assisted dying as “assisted suicide” throughout the debate, prompting a rebuke by his colleague and supporter of the reforms, Emma Vulin, who lives with motor neurone disease. Read the full article |
| VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT Statement from the Attorney-General 28 Oct: "I acknowledge the impact that the High Court's decision in Bird v DP has had on many
victim-survivors. That’s why we will be introducing landmark legislation into Parliament this year to address the implications of this decision – because it is the right thing to do." Read the full statement |
| SMH Liberals divided on voluntary assisted dying changes 28 Oct: NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman has backed a Liberal MLC’s push to change voluntary
assisted dying laws, insisting it would be a reasonable compromise for aged care homes to move a terminally ill resident to another facility if they want to choose the timing of their death. Read the full
article |
| THE GUARDIAN ‘Islamophobia is endemic,’ Mamdani says of Republicans’ push to deport him 27 Oct: Two US House Republicans are pushing the federal justice
department to investigate the path to citizenship of Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate favored to win the 4 November election for New York City mayor. The push has been condemned by Democratic officials and Muslim civil rights groups as “racist and anti-Muslim”. Read the full article |
| AP NEWS Anti-science bills hit statehouses, stripping away public health protections built over a century 22 Oct: More than 420 anti-science bills
attacking longstanding public health protections – vaccines, milk safety and fluoride – have been introduced in statehouses across the U.S. this year, part of an organized, politically savvy campaign to enshrine a conspiracy theory-driven agenda into law. Read the full article |
In successfully opposing a petition calling for Christian prayers to be reinstated at the opening of Bass Coast council meetings in Victoria, one councillor has argued that prayers should be left to churches and another has said that he has “as much religion as a cat”. What do you think? Email your comments to:
editor@rationalist.com.au |
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| RATIONALE Credulity for tales of the
astonishing Jack Dikian: While credulity among the public for tales of the astonishing – including for example religious and spiritual beliefs – is correlated with growing scepticism, we have witnessed the growth of a new culture, the visual consumer culture, with all its worship of constant convenience, desperately fawning customer service and instant gratification. Scepticism in various aspects of life,
including consumer trust in brands, climate change perceptions, and even science in general, is on the rise. Read the full article |
| ABC The ACT has made a historic decision. What about survivors elsewhere? Louise Milligan: The argument that clergy were not employees flew in the
face of, for instance, the fact that they received the JobKeeper allowance during COVID-19 lockdowns, and the fact that in many of these cases, evidence has been led to show that they were described as employees in internal church documents, or received superannuation. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN PODCAST Australia’s growing cult crisis The Guardian’s daily news podcast examines why more people are falling prey to cults and whether the
current laws are strong enough to help vulnerable people who might be lured in. Correspondent Benita Kolovos speaks about why more ‘modern’ cults are using new methods to recruit and promising ‘simple answers to complex problems’. Listen to the
full episode |
| THE AGE Australia’s resisting the global populist tide. But now’s no time for smugness Nick Bryant: I have been sounding the alarm about the
Americanisation of Australian public life. In recent months, however, I have not shared the fatalistic sense that Australia will inexorably travel the same path as the US, Britain, France and Germany. Populism with an Aussie twang is not somehow preordained. Read the full article |
| ABC RADIO Did deeply held religious faith influence a high court judge? The early 1990s was, for Catholics, a time of political ascendancy – a Catholic
prime minister, governor-general, and five of the seven high court justices. One of them was Sir Gerard Brennan, whose most famous judgement was the Mabo decision granting native title to indigenous Australians. How did his religion influence his decisions as a judge? Listen to the full episode |
| THE GUARDIAN An ex-Intel CEO’s mission to build a Christian AI: ‘hasten the coming of Christ’s return’ Adam Willems: Now Gloo’s executive chair
and head of technology, Gelsinger has made it a core mission to soft-power advance the company’s Christian principles in Silicon Valley, the halls of Congress and beyond, armed with a fundraised war chest of $110m. His call to action is also a pitch for AI aligned with Christian values. Read the full article |
| THE FREETHINKER I can see the concrete slowly creepin’ Giuseppe Novelli: Human expansion cannot be stopped, and it probably shouldn’t be,
either. Capitalism also requires growth, and it creates wealth and progress. Mankind’s expansion is existential, and it’s the economy: staying still isn’t contemplated. But here’s what’s new. For the first time in the history of this planet, we’re everywhere. Read the full
article |
| THE CONVERSATION Why Beijing is looking to exert tighter control over Chinese Christians Gerda Wielander: Chinese-American Christians close to
the Republican party are often instrumental in providing support for prominent exiled figures. They also ensure that the prosecution of Chinese Christians remains high on the agenda in bilateral relations. In turn, repressive measures tend to intensify when relations between China and the US deteriorate. Read the full article |
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