Australia’s Secularism and the Lord’s Prayer Debate | The Examiner

Parliamentarians are not required to attend prayers; recitation of the Lord’s Prayer is not mandatory for senators and members of the House of Representatives. They may choose not to participate. I have spoken to MPs from all political persuasions; there is a view that replacing the prayer with a time for personal reflection, if necessary, would be more appropriate. Advocates of the prayer argue that it represents a nonpartisan tradition that affirms a commitment to the public interest of Australia. Critics, including the Greens, see it as an outdated practice that violates the principle of separation of church and state.