Does Australia have a state religion?

No, Australia does not have a state religion. Section 116 of the Australian Constitution expressly forbids the Commonwealth Parliament from making any law for establishing any religion. Australia is a secular state in that no religion holds special legal status, constitutional privilege, or financial support specifically because it is the official religion of the country.

Section 116 is a constitutional limit on the Commonwealth Parliament alone. State and territory governments are not directly bound by section 116, although they have generally followed the same approach. State governments do fund some religious activities, particularly religious schools (which receive both federal and state government funding alongside fee income), chaplains in some public schools, and specific community services delivered by religious organisations. The constitutional challenge in the 1981 Defence of Government Schools (DOGS) case found that federal funding of religious schools did not establish a religion within the meaning of section 116.

Australia's parliamentary practice still carries some religious elements. Each sitting of the federal Parliament begins with a Christian prayer, although since 2010 it has been prefaced by an Acknowledgement of Country, and proposals for replacement with a more inclusive opening have recurred. The Australian Citizenship Pledge can be made either with or without the words 'under God', at the new citizen's choice. The Crown is formally Christian under the Act of Settlement 1701 (which still applies in Australia), but the King has no religious authority over Australians and the Constitution prevents any religious test for office.

The absence of a state religion sits comfortably with Australia's increasingly secular and religiously diverse population. About 39 per cent of Australians reported no religion in the 2021 census, the largest single category, surpassing Catholic and Anglican totals for the first time. Christmas, Easter, and Anzac Day remain widely observed as public holidays, while celebrations of Diwali, Eid, Hanukkah, Lunar New Year, and Greek Orthodox Easter are also part of the national calendar. Recognition of Indigenous spirituality through Acknowledgements of Country at official events completes the picture of a state that recognises many traditions but privileges none.