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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsReligionStarted 3mos agoActive 1mo ago

Should the daily recital of the Lord's Prayer at the opening of federal parliament be abolished?

Since 1901, both houses of the Australian federal parliament have opened their daily proceedings with the Lord's Prayer. Proponents of keeping it argue that it reflects the nation's institutional heritage and provides a solemn, unifying grounding for lawmakers. Opponents argue that it is an exclusionary relic of the past that alienates non-Christian Australians and violates the secular nature of modern government.

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 2.9k Australia voters.

62%
Yes
38%
No
51%
Yes
33%
No
6%
Yes, a modern secular government should not officially endorse one specific religion
5%
No, it is a harmless tradition honoring the historical Christian foundations of our democracy
5%
Yes, but replace it with an inclusive moment of silent reflection for all beliefs
1%
No, we must actively protect the Christian heritage of our national institutions from secular erosion

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 2.9k Australia voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 2.9k Australia voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from Australia voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @BC7SBFRanswered…3mos3MO

No, but parliament should feel free to discuss it should they please.

 @BC6Y4M5 answered…3mos3MO

We need to work out more inclusive ways of honouring our heritage, eg: not compulsory. Don't remove it to nothing, or swing too far in the other direction

 @BDHCSZGanswered…1mo1MO

Continue the Lord's Prayer statements, but after the prayer, add a statement which applies to all OTHER beliefs, and unite the chamber in something like a values-based statement. This respects and honours tradition and progress.

 @BCMR6VV answered…1mo1MO

I don’t care about a religious speech.

 @BCXRKNXanswered…2mos2MO

Yes, Religion has no place in a government that governs a multicultural, multi-religious country

 @BCJ7XKXanswered…3mos3MO

We should still keep it on my opinion because I'm Catholic but they should also add more religion recital so it's more diverse, considering that Australia is a diverse country.

 @BDK7FBWanswered…1mo1MO

No, but include a moment of silent reflection for all beliefs.

 @BDK5K4Hanswered…1mo1MO

I do not think replacing the lord's prayer recital is of tantamount importance, but I would nonetheless support a more inclusive, secular replacement.

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About This Data

Based on 2.9k responses to this question.

These results come from iSideWith's ongoing political issues survey. We collect over a million responses per day, filter out duplicate and multiple submissions, and break the results down by political party, ideology, age, state, and census demographics (income, race, education, household).

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iSideWith. (2026). “Should the daily recital of the Lord's Prayer at the opening of federal parliament be abolished?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 17, 2026, from https://australia.isidewith.com/poll/5557998877

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