What is religious respect?

Religious respect in Australia is the expectation that people of all religious backgrounds, including those of no religion, are treated with civility, allowed to practise their faith freely, and protected from harassment or discrimination. The principle is supported by section 116 of the Constitution, by federal and state anti-discrimination laws, and by an increasingly secular and pluralist social culture.

Australia's religious landscape has changed rapidly. The 2021 census recorded about 44 per cent of Australians identifying as Christian (down from 88 per cent in 1966), 39 per cent reporting no religion (the largest single category), and growing communities of Muslim (3.2 per cent), Hindu (2.7 per cent), Buddhist (2.4 per cent), Jewish (0.4 per cent), Sikh, Baha'i, and other faiths. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander spirituality, grounded in Tjukurpa or Dreaming traditions, is recognised increasingly through Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country at official events.

Religious respect manifests in everyday practices. Calendars accommodate religious observances: workplaces and schools allow leave for major religious holidays, food services in workplaces and large institutions increasingly cater for halal, kosher, vegetarian, and vegan requirements, and facilities for prayer or quiet reflection are common in airports, universities, hospitals, and large workplaces. Public events are scheduled to avoid clashes with major religious holidays where possible. Religious dress including the hijab, the kippah, and the turban is permitted under most school uniform rules.

Several recent tensions have tested religious respect. The 2017 marriage equality postal survey produced majority support for same-sex marriage but also raised concerns about religious freedom for ministers of religion, addressed through specific exemptions in the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017. The lapsed Religious Discrimination Bill of 2021 to 2022 attempted to add direct federal protection but did not pass. Anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents have risen since October 2023, prompting expanded police responses and federal anti-discrimination reforms in 2024 banning the public display of Nazi and other terror symbols. Religious respect remains a continuing project, balancing freedom to practise, freedom from harassment, and the protection of individual rights.