New Report Warns of an Uncertain Future for Religious Liberty in Australia
A 2025 ACN report warns Australia is sliding toward religious freedom concern, citing government overreach, speech restrictions, lawfare, and rising antisemitism despite an overall cautiously positive outlook.
According to a 2025 report on religious freedom, Australia is becoming a country of concern.
Compiled by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the slight category shift was due to government overreach and events significantly impacting the right to speak freely.
“Australia’s prospects for freedom of religion remained uncertain,” ACN explained.
Examples included Lyle Shelton’s lengthy LGBTIQ+ litigation battle, and the censoring of US chastity advocate Jason Evert because of his “views on women and sexuality.”
Proving that the “process is the punishment”, Shelton’s fight against LGBTIQ+ lawfare is entering its seventh year.
To recap, the original case involved the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) and the partially taxpayer-funded LGBTIQ+ Legal Service.
Recalling the details, ACN explained,
“The group had alleged that Shelton violated the anti-vilification law by publishing blog posts saying drag queens are “dangerous role models” who should not read to children.”
Despite Shelton’s “hate speech” case being eventually dismissed, an appeal is still underway.
Against Freedom of Conscience
Another potent example backing ACN’s concerns was last year’s attempt by the New South Wales Greens to legislate some of Australia’s harshest pro-abortion laws.
Opposed by NSW Libertarian John Ruddick, the Greens’ bill would have forced pro-life hospitals and midwives to carry out abortions. (See here)
At the time Ruddick told Caldron Pool he was opposing the bill because “mandating hospitals to perform abortions is a blatant assault on freedom.”
The proposed legislation, he declared, “deeply offends anyone with pro-life convictions.”
The bill would, Ruddick added, “shift the way the State sees abortion from something that’s simply ‘not illegal’ to a positive right that every hospital is morally obligated to provide.”
He then accused the Greens of pushing for overreach, adding, “We need to foster a culture of revering human life, not foster a culture that makes it an optional lifestyle extra.”
Other Attacks
Adding more examples, ACN noted a small pushback against Muslims, as well as an increase in “anti-Jewish incidents.”
Between 2023 and 2024, attacks on Jews increased by 316%.
These included “assaults, vandalism, abuse, hateful messages and graffiti.”
Such as the now infamous pro-Hamas “rally held outside the Sydney Opera House included apparent calls to ‘Gas the Jews!‘”
Marking another significant setback to freedom of religion in Australia, ACN cited the ACT government’s forced requisitioning of Calvary Hospital in 2023.
ACN said the motivation for the forced takeover of the only Catholic hospital was clearly linked to the state’s passion for abortion.
“While the acquisition was said to be unrelated to its Catholic operators,” they argued, “it came less than a month after the Labor Government report ruled the hospital’s Christian ethos as ‘problematic.’”
As per an August 2023 Daily Declaration petition to save the hospital, the Government was “unwilling to dialogue with hospital authorities and ACT citizens.”
Legal Tangles
Other areas of concern listed by ACN were flawed offers to enshrine religious freedom protections into law.
These, they said, are coupled with calls for notoriously vague “hate speech” legislation and specific anti-discrimination rules for Christian schools.
If adopted, those recommendations would force faith-based educational institutions to compromise their core values and beliefs.
For instance, Christian schools “would not be able to insist that staff and volunteers conduct themselves in accordance with the religious ethos of the school.”
The law proposals additionally “threatened the ability of religious educational institutions to teach their religious doctrines on marriage, gender and sexuality.”
This also rules out “set policies about student behaviour relating to these matters, which puts schools at risk of being sued for discrimination.”
Despite the slow legislative drift towards draconianism, ACN’s findings from January 2023 to December 2024 remained positive.
They declared that while there are “serious shortcomings, the outlook for religious freedom in Australia remained positive.”
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So much for the great Christian West!
Great article!!!!!!
Marxists (include many in the Socialist Labor Party and of course The Greens ) hate Christianity. They hate Morals ( they promote Sexual Promiscuity especially in young Teens ),Abortion, Euthanasia. They hate Truth, Human Rights, The Family, Democracy, study of World History–the list is endless . Their Aim is to destroy Religious Freedom in Australia for Christians, Jews, Sikhs, Hindus , etc , including the Rights of Atheists. Our govt .is doing nothing to stop the Marxists who have joined with Muslim Activists who plot an Australian version of the 1979 Iranian Revolution to make us another failed, repressive State like Iran which has just imported some 800 Iraqis to kill its own people. These Iraqis hiding in ambulances entered a hospital and stopped blood transfusions to injured Iranian Protestors , took about 2, 000 prisoners whom they will probably torture before killing . They shoot to kill, especially beautiful women in the face , or they blind women , men and youths. Notice the SILENCE in our Australian Media or from so-called “Feminists ” , or, from the Human Rights Lobby ! I have to obtain the latest news from Overseas sources which I will not name or our access will be stopped ! This is the Future planned for Australia unless we stop being stupid, and stop funding Terrorists groups like Hamas , Hezbollah, etc by giving money to “charities ” which funnel millions or billions of our taxpayers’ Australian dollars to these Terrorist Groups and to Iran to produce ballistic missiles and nuclear weaponry to destroy Israel and the USA, and eventually us . Like his appointment of his crony (Gov. General Samantha Mostyn ) it appears Albanese will appoint another woman in charge of a Royal Commission ? Another crony of his with limited points of reference to prevent the Truth coming out ? The Liberal Party has for many years stupidly supported our internal enemies. Tony Abbott agrees with me that our country, our culture, values and Christian and Jewish religions are in the gravest Peril we have ever witnessed. There is no time to waste ! Start by insisting an itemised list of ALL Muslim Charities in Australia is produced for public scrutiny. It must be itemised and show dates, amounts and names and addresses of Donors (especially Australian Govt. Grants ) and their purpose , when (dates ), and proof how the money was spent ? Stop the money leaving Australia by demanding proof of all money going Overseas to Muslims or Charities.
In my eyes and mind Australia has fallen, it just hasn’t reached the bottom of the hill yet.
Much of the problem has been in that many among the left wing, (“Marxists” among), have been persecuted by Australian Security Intelligence, and ASIO in particular, for holding with Christian faith and moral values. ASIO had been accusing anybody even vaguely left wing of being unable to be Christian enough for the government to believe we are Christian. The same was happening to persons of all kinds of religious persuasions if we so much as voted ALP and happened to say so. Aboriginal persons have suffered the same, as if it was impossible to believe in Aboriginal cultural values of Creation care, and simultaneously be Christian. The matter was become so overt, being made overt by ASIO under a former Commandant named Bernard Malone, (who maybe suicided in 2024), as that many too many in the left wing have had to sign security contracts by becoming informants, so as to be silenced, even if without any information to provide. I think the Daily Declaration should find out about what’s happening moreso than merely accept an outdated ASIO branding as being the kinds of Christians who don’t know what “God bothering” was, because your News service is better than as ASIO preferred.
Well written, Countess, I thoroughly agree with your call to action. It is exactly what’s needed!
Though everything in this article is true, the directive emphasis of the article disturbs me. ‘Uncertain future’ is a statement totally devoid of faith in our great God. I don’t believe for a minute that we have an uncertain future! Our God is the creator of the earth and ruler over all the nations. There is nothing uncertain about his power, might and willingness to help those who call on him for help.
Though we a living in a time in Australian history when an atheist government is ruling and trying really hard to destroy Christianity and create an atmosphere that will allow the severe restriction of ALL religious practice, we need to remember that our God is NOT an imaginary friend. He is real. He is powerful. AND he is really good at removing his enemies from power.
That is what will happen in Australia. Christianity won’t go – the Labor Party will!
I am reminded of God’s attitude to people in power who brutally kill woman and children in order to increase their political power base. God’s attitude is clearly written for us in Scripture.
“Because he ripped open the pregnant women in order to extend his borders…I will destroy his strongholds…the king and all his officials will go into exile.” Amos 1:13-15
In order to increase their voter base and remain in leadership, Albanese and his despicable officials, imported terrorists into our country, who in turn slaughtered women and children and the brave men who stepped into front of the women and children to protect them. These are irrefutable facts.
My God doesn’t change. He is the same, yesterday, today and forever. What he said he was against back in the days of Amos still applies today. He is still against political leaders who kill women and children in order to increase political boundaries. The action he will take has not changed, either.
God will ensure that everything Albanese and his officials have done in secret will come to the light. God himself will ensure that Albanese and his officials are removed permanently from any position of influence over Australians. And further, God will ensure their corrupt political party will be shattered, dismantled and gone for good.
This is the word of God. It is the written will of God. It has been spoken. It will be done!
Nothing will stop it from happening. Once it is spoken, the word of God is unstoppable!
God has a plan for this country that is superior to any dictatorial UN plan, and his army is greater in might than any on this earth.
Look to the Lord. He is God. And he is here!
absolutely sick of people commenting on ALP unfit to govern.
LNP signed Australia up to UN AGENDA 2030 IN 2014 – Bishop and Turnbull. The Agenda is the blueprint for the building of the necessary infrastructure for one world government.
Australia cannot be a sovereign nation AND part of global government that WEF says will ensure we will own nothing.
Only One Nation has committed to removing Australia from the Agenda. LNP IS GLOBALIST.