RSA Weekly Sunday 29 March 2026 Hi , You may remember that last year we arranged a meeting between the Australian War Memorial and non-religious veterans to discuss how the imposition of religion in the Anzac Day Dawn
Service alienates many people, including veterans. Disappointingly, the War Memorial has ignored their concerns, telling us that it has made no changes for next month's Dawn Service (see top article). So, once again, the Anzac Day service at our nation's most important site of commemoration will be dominated by Christianity. For our new podcast episode, it was a pleasure to speak with
LGBTIQ+ rights advocate and former Senator Brian Greig about the West Australian government's failure to remove religious exemptions to the state's equal opportunity laws. You can find The Secular Agenda on your podcast app, or listen here on our website. If you'd like to share your thoughts about articles in the RSA Weekly, email me via: sigladman@rationalist.com.au. Si Gladman Executive Director, Rationalist Society of Australia |
|
| RSA War Memorial set to again impose religion in Anzac Day service,
ignoring feedback from non-religious veterans28 Mar: The nation’s most important site of commemoration will ignore the concerns of non-religious veterans and again impose religious worship on attendees and viewers of next month’s Anzac Day Dawn Service. In a letter to the Rationalist Society of Australia, the Australian War Memorial has confirmed that it has not made any changes to the format of the Dawn Service, despite calls for secular
reform from non-religious veterans. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN Brisbane artist contacted by police over works that allegedly violate new Queensland hate speech laws28 Mar: Brisbane-based visual artist James Hillier was shocked to
learn he could face jail time for some of his designs. Hillier, who goes by the name Nordacious, said he had removed three artworks relating to Palestine from his website after police told him some of his pieces allegedly violated Queensland’s new hate speech laws. Read the full article |
| THE AGE Muslim leader to meet police chief over Islamophobia investigations27 Mar: The head of Victoria’s peak Muslim body is expected to meet the state’s police commissioner next
week to discuss community concerns that the force is not doing enough to investigate potentially Islamophobic attacks. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN (UK) YouGov withdraws survey said to show rising church attendance in England and Wales27 Mar: A YouGov survey showing a significant rise in church attendance in parts
of the UK has been withdrawn after some respondents were found to be fraudulent. The poll was central to a Quiet Revival report, published by the Bible Society last year, which prompted news stories about an apparent resurgence in Christianity, particularly among young people. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN (US) Hegseth prays at Pentagon service for ‘overwhelming violence’ against enemies 27 Mar: The defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, prayed during
a religious service at the Pentagon that there be “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy”. The Christian worship service, held on Wednesday before military and civilian workers at the Pentagon, was Hegseth’s first since the Iran war began. Read the
full article |
| ABC
Sarah Mullally enthroned as first female Archbishop of Canterbury 26 Mar: Dame Sarah Mullally has been enthroned as the Church of England's first female Archbishop of Canterbury,
taking the helm as the spiritual leader of 85 million Anglicans worldwide in a historic ceremony blending tradition with global symbolism. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN Islamic community calls out ‘anti-Muslim hate’ after suspicious fire at site of new Victorian mosque 26 Mar: Islamic communities have called
out a rise in “anti-Muslim hate” after a church that was being converted into a mosque was allegedly set alight in what Victoria police are treating as a “suspicious” fire. Read the full article |
| NT NEWS (VIA CATH NEWS) NT euthanasia laws to prevent doctors initiating discussion 23 Mar: The Northern Territory is set to introduce voluntary assisted
dying legislation by the middle of the year that will impose a timeline on eligibility and gag doctors from raising it as an option with their patients. The Australian Christian Lobby welcomed what it described as “sensible additional safeguards”. Read the full
article |
| COURIER-MAIL ‘Misleading, insensitive’: Feds blasted over Qld’s VAD roadblock 16 Mar: The Clem Jones Group has slammed the federal government for refusing
to make a simple law change that would help regional Queenslanders access voluntary assisted dying. Read the full article |
Stephen Woodford, host of Rationality Rules, exposes the flaws in the methodology used in a YouGov survey last year – the results of which suggested there was a ‘revival’ of Christianity in the United Kingdom. What do you think? Email your comments to: editor@rationalist.com.au |
|
| RATIONALE A closer look at the ‘Twelve
Commandments’
Ian Robinson: One of the many untruths propounded by the Judea-Christian religious tradition is the concocted story that, one day on Mount Sinai, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. But the actual phrase ‘Ten Commandments’ does not appear anywhere in the Hebrew text of the Bible. Read the full article |
| ABC Annaliese Holland will die within months. Here is what she wants you to know
David Marchese: Annaliese has been approved for voluntary assisted dying in South
Australia, and will end her life in months. The grim deadline is in stark contrast to Annie's warm personality: the 26-year-old from Adelaide is committed to using her remaining days to have frank conversations about what end-of-life care looks like for young Australians. Read the full article |
| PEARLS & IRRITATIONS Free speech and antisemitism: drawing the line
Gareth Evans: Anti-Israel protesters come in all shapes and sizes, and particular language that may
appear unequivocally antisemitic in the mouths, or on the signs, of one group, may look much less so in the case of another. The law should recognise that reality. Read the full article |
| SYDNEY MORNING HERALD The public parents fighting the flight to private school
Christopher Harris: Like many schools in the inner city, inner west and eastern suburbs,
Glebe Public is seeing dramatic declines in kindergarten enrolments as parents either opt for private or Catholic schools or simply leave the area because of surging rents and house prices. To fight the flight from public schools, she is attempting to raise Glebe Public’s “brand awareness” in the community. Read the full article |
| PEARLS & IRRITATIONS Underfunded public schools, overfunded private ones – the gap grows
Trevor Cobbold: While the new bilateral funding agreements between the
commonwealth and state and territory governments will provide a substantial boost in funding of public schools, they will remain underfunded to 2034 and beyond. Read the full article |
| CATHOLIC LEADER New Nationals leader wants Australians to have more babies, carefree Sundays
Joe Higgins: Queensland Senator Matthew Canavan has never shied away from his
Catholic faith, but the new Nationals leader says he is not in the business of salvation – and he warns anyone from thinking the state should be. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN Rising Islamophobia has left young Muslims feeling fearful and alienated
Adeshola Ore: Young Muslims say they feel alienated by Hanson’s widely criticised
anti-Islam remarks and the surge in support for her One Nation party. It comes at a time in which their fears of physical and verbal attacks have intensified, with Islamophobic incidents rising around the country. Read the full
article |
| NZ HERALD Cult survivors form private support groups in Christchurch and Auckland
Michael Morrah: Cult leavers suffering from “outrageous” emotional, physical or sexual
abuse are seeking solace at newly formed peer support groups. Those running such meetings say event locations are generally kept secret and participants are vetted to ensure they’re not attending to try and convince defectors to rejoin. Read the full article |
| PEW RESEARCH CENTER Key facts about same-sex marriage 25 years after the Netherlands legalized it
April 1 marks the 25th anniversary of the world’s first nationally recognized
same-sex marriages. Those marriages took place in the Netherlands after it became the first country to legalize such unions. Today, dozens of other countries also allow same-sex marriage. Here are some key facts about same-sex marriage around the world, drawn from Pew Research Center surveys and data analyses. Read the full article |
| ABC Former nurse Sarah Mullally tasked with healing a wounded Anglican Church
Elias Clure: When Sarah Mullally is officially installed as the leader of the Church of
England, many senior clerics won't be in attendance. Conservative members of the church are appalled that the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury is a woman, the first in its 492-year history, and have refused to take part in the ceremony today. Read
the full article |
| ABC RADIO Is Trump's support fading amongst the Christian right in Europe?
There may be a complex challenge for the new Archbishop of Canterbury. Some Brits are claiming Christian
identity with a more politicised and dubious intention in mind. Madeleine Davies of the Church Times has been investigating the recent fervour behind the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ movement and the response of the Church of England. Listen to the full
episode |
|
|
