World Religion Day 2009
18 January 2009
One of the great democratic principles of Australia is freedom of religion, the Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services, Laurie Ferguson, said on World Religion Day today.
‘Here in Australia, we are free to practise our religion or spiritual beliefs as long as in doing so, Australian laws are respected,’ Mr Ferguson said.
‘At the last census, almost 14 million Australians identified as belonging to a religion.
‘Of these, some 13 million Australians are Christian, spread amongst the Protestant, Catholic and many different Orthodox traditions. There are also more than 400 000 Buddhists, 340 000 Muslims, 150 000 Hindus, 90 000 Jews, 26 000 Sikhs and 12 000 Baha’i.’
World Religion Day was first observed in 1950 as an initiative by Baha’i in the United States to foster interfaith understanding. World Religion Day is now observed by many faiths in many countries.
‘Interfaith dialogue plays an important role in increasing understanding of our nation’s religious and cultural diversity and bringing Australians closer together,’ Mr Ferguson said.
‘The Australian Government supports interfaith dialogue at the highest levels, supporting the Australian Partnership of Religious Organisations [APRO] through the work of the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia [FECCA].
‘At the international level, the Australian Government is contributing $2 million to the Parliament of the World’s Religions, an interfaith dialogue with about 10 000 participants, which will be held in Melbourne in December 2009,’ Mr Ferguson added.
Available on the department's website is a calendar of cultural and religious dates.
See: Calendar of Cultural and Religious Dates
Media contact: Carla Wilshire 0432 755 935
URL: http://www.minister.immi.gov.au
/parlsec/media/media-releases/2009/lf09002.htm
Last update: 19 January 2009 at 11:17 AEST