City of Boroondara councillors reject bid to dump ‘Christian’ prayer from meetings

The religious custom was accused of being unwelcoming — even though this city council’s residents are predominantly Christian.

A push is underway to dump a Christian prayer from the start of the Boroondara council’s meetings.

“Christian tradition” has been defended amid a bid to dump the prayer at the start of an inner city council’s meetings.

City of Boroondara councillors heatedly debated the issue after it was claimed that the prayer seeking blessings from “Almighty God’ was divisive and not welcoming to many of the area’s people.

Boroondara, which includes Camberwell, Kew and Hawthorn, had 37 per cent of residents reporting no religion in the 2016 census.

About half of the population identified as Christian, with Catholics and Anglicans the main groups.

Councillor Victor Franco.

Former Boroondara mayor Jim Parke.

Councillor Victor Franco said the prayer was Christian and should go because it made non-religious people and those of other faiths feel unwelcome.

“Council’s governance rules as proposed try to make it part of the job as councillors to participate in an act of Christian worship,” he told a recent council meeting.

“Not all of us are Christian, and Boroondara is not a church.”

“Boroondara Council meetings should be inclusive and welcoming for all.”

But former mayor Jim Parke branded the move “silly”, and an attempt to whip up controversy where there was none.

“This isn’t a concern for our community … it beggars belief what people can manage to find offensive these days,” he said.

Councillor Felicity Sinfield said the prayer was not divisive as it did not nominate a particular religion’s God.

However, Ms Sinfield said Boroondara was by tradition a largely Christian community.

“(This) is a tradition that will carry forward for many years to come, and I have absolutely no issue whatsoever in continuing this tradition, as I think our community would like us to do,” she said.

Camberwell’s St Mark's Anglican Church is located in the LGA, where half the residents identify as Christian. Picture: Alex Coppel

Councillor Susan Biggar, who said she was a Christian, said councillors shouldn’t assume the prayer was accepted by people of all faiths.

“It’s probably not our place to make that assumption about whether or not this would be a prayer that a Sikh or Hindu person would feel comfortable with,” she said.

Cr Franco’s bid to remove the prayer from the governance rules was voted down, however, the rules are out for public consultation until June 25.

In November 2020, Mornington Peninsula Shire rejected a similar move to scrap its prayer.

Fewer than half Melbourne councils have a prayer, while most, including Boroondara, do a symbolic Aboriginal acknowledgment at meetings and other events.

Both state and federal parliaments have the Lord’s Prayer prayer at the start of sittings.