RSA Weekly Sunday 22 February 2026 Hi , For several years now, we’ve been raising the alarm about the further privileging of religious interests in public policy-making in New South Wales under the Minns government’s Faith
Affairs Council. Worryingly, the Albanese government now appears to be considering adopting the same model for a national faith affairs advisory body (see our top article). 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 |
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| RSA Exclusive: Albanese government expresses interest in setting up
privileged faith advisory body21 Feb: Federal government ministers have expressed interest in establishing a faith affairs advisory body that would give religious clerics privileged access to government ministers and influence in the policy-making process. Email correspondence between Attorney-General Michelle Rowland and an Anglican Church leader — and which was tabled in the federal parliament this week — reveals the Albanese government
is considering establishing a body similar to the New South Wales government’s controversial Faith Affairs Council. Read the full article |
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| RSA Non-religious councillors walk out over Oberon’s
prayers18 Feb: Two elected representatives at a New South Wales council have walked out of a meeting instead of standing with their colleagues to observe Christian prayers, marking a defining moment in their push to remove acts of religious worship from local government. During Tuesday’s general meeting at Oberon Council, councillors Ian Tucker and Katie Graham left the chamber at the commencement of the opening prayer, having previously
pleaded with their colleagues not to impose religion. Read the full article |
| THE AGE Frydenberg’s hope for Bondi royal commission 21 Feb: Former treasurer Josh Frydenberg has called for a sharp focus on religious extremism when the
royal commission on antisemitism starts on Tuesday. Major Jewish community groups have come together ahead of the royal commission to co-ordinate on legal strategy. Read the full
article |
| THE GUARDIAN Federal police ‘received reports of a crime’ in relation to Pauline Hanson’s comments about Muslims 20 Feb: Federal police say they have
“received reports of a crime” in relation to comments made to the media by Pauline Hanson this week. But an AFP spokesperson did not say whether they had begun a criminal investigation, only that they would have more to say “at an appropriate time”. Read the full article |
| ABC North Qld Anglican diocese given green light to sell properties to pay compensation 19 Feb: The Anglican Diocese of North Queensland has been given the
green light to sell church properties to help meet its payment commitments to victims of historical child sexual abuse. The church diocese entered receivership in August in order to meet its financial obligations under the National Redress Scheme. Read the
full article |
| THE GUARDIAN Police seize art posters depicting Trump, Putin and Netanyahu in Nazi uniforms from Canberra bar 19 Feb: Police have seized art posters from a
Canberra music venue and bar that depict world leaders and others, including Donald Trump and Elon Musk, wearing Nazi uniforms, and are investigating whether new federal hate symbol laws were broken. Read the full article |
| THE AGE PM and former One Nation candidate slam Hanson for anti-Muslim comments 19 Feb: Anthony Albanese has slammed Pauline Hanson for her latest
anti-Muslim remarks, drawing a direct link between the One Nation leader’s commentary and escalating threats of violence towards minority groups. The prime minister said Hanson’s suggestion that there were no good Muslims was “disgraceful”. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN Lakemba mosque facing most alarming situation since Cronulla riots as Ramadan begins, Muslim leader says 19 Feb: One of Australia’s largest
mosques is facing what it says is the most “alarming situation” since the Cronulla race riots, with security bolstered for Ramadan celebrations. New South Wales police are investigating after Lakemba mosque on Wednesday received its third threatening letter in a matter of weeks. Read the full article |
| ABC 'Thunderous applause' as vicarious liability laws pass Victoria's upper house 18 Feb: The Vicarious Liability Bill passed through Victoria's upper
house unopposed yesterday, reversing a High Court decision that found the Catholic Church could not be sued for the actions of a priest. Read the full article |
| THE AGE Charity run by stabbed bishop plans luxury six-bedroom home17 Feb: A religious charity run by controversial Sydney bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel has lodged plans to spend $2.2
million building a luxury home with six bedrooms, a library, a music room and an extensive underground garage. The development is the latest property move for the tax-exempt OneJesus Limited, which has bought a string of homes for “people with special needs”. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN Rightwing thinktank joins backlash to Queensland’s ‘vague’ proposed hate speech laws16 Feb: There is growing backlash to Queensland’s antisemitism laws on all sides of
politics, with rightwing thinktank the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) the latest group to raise free speech concerns about the “vague” bill. Read the full article |
| WA TODAY New law to give police power to refuse ‘hate’ protests15 Feb: The Cook Government will introduce new laws to Parliament this week that aim to give WA Police the power to
refuse a permit to protest if it is considered likely to promote hate. According to the government, the proposed bill aims to strike a balance between the right to protest while targeting behaviour including harassment, violence and intimidation. Read the full article |
When their colleagues at Oberon Council stood for Christian prayers at the opening of Tuesday night's council meeting, non-religious councillors Ian Tucker and Katie Graham headed for the door. What do you think? Email your comments to: editor@rationalist.com.au |
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| RATIONALE Thinking clearly about
Iran Paul Monk: In Iran right now, the IRGC is plainly very unpopular. But it has exhibited a ruthless will to survive. There is one thing we can now be confident about, however. There is a very substantial constituency in Iran for a post-theocratic, modernising and tolerant political and social order. Read the full article |
| ABC Inside Australia’s fight against vaccine hesitancy
Hayley Gleeson: With health practitioners increasingly confronting patients who question the safety and efficacy of
vaccines that have long been proven to work, efforts to curb hesitancy and improve uptake have taken on new urgency. It is delicate, time-consuming work that requires skill and patience — some days, the people who do it feel like they’re drowning in a sea of lies and conspiracy theories. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN Pauline Hanson’s poison is rewarded with airtime and rising support. But fearmongers must be called out
Julianne Schultz: There is hate speech and then there
is hate speech. It depends a lot on who does the speaking. Chanting “from the river to the sea” with a crowd could lead to criminal charges in Queensland, while down the road Pauline Hanson can say there are “no good Muslims” and be rewarded with headlines, airtime and rising support. Read the full article |
| A CURRENT AFFAIR Inside the controversial spiritual school run by former detectives
Sam Cucchiara: Sphinx Spiritual has faced mounting heat in recent months, with a dozen
ex-members describing a group that broke family bonds and where alternate treatments for medical conditions were encouraged. Sphinx rejected claims it was responsible for breaking up families or forcing students to change their names. It said all students were there voluntarily. Read the full article |
| THE CONVERSATION With more restrictive laws across the country, how can we protect the right to protest?
Maria O'Sullivan: This latest round of law reform follows
long-running concerns about whether the right to protest in Australia is under threat. Two years ago, the Human Rights Law Centre found “protest is in peril”. Little has changed since. Read the full article |
| ABC RADIO Is the right to protest being undermined in Australia?
The visit of Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, saw big protests around Australia. In Sydney, under tight
restrictions, the demonstrations descended into violence, raising questions around police brutality and the erosion of the right to protest. Listen to the full episode |
| CNN Trump has chipped away at the long-standing wall between church and state. It’s just the beginning
René Marsh and Steve Contorno: A series of faith initiatives
championed by the White House have led to a systematic religious revival within the government’s operations, culture and policy. Americans have been encouraged to pray for an hour each week. Some government agencies have opened their meetings with prayer or hosted regular faith services. Bible verses and Christian imagery now appear on official government social media. Read the full article |
| ABC RADIO Steve Bannon, Jeffrey Epstein and their plot to topple Pope Francis
Buried in the latest tranche of documents about the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein is an
extraordinary exchange of emails. They involve Epstein and the one-time adviser to Donald Trump, Steve Bannon. They discuss a plot to bring down the late Pope Francis. Listen to the full episode |
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