Labor rules out push to end reading of Lord’s Prayer in Senate

Labor’s Senate leaders say the reading of the Lord’s Prayer should continue, contradicting atheist president Sue Lines’ push to end the tradition.

The new Speaker of the House of Representatives, Milton Dick, wit Senate president Sue Lines. Picture: Gary Ramage

Labor’s Senate leadership team says the reading of the Lord’s Prayer at the start of each sitting day should continue, contradicting their colleague and the chamber’s new president, Sue Lines, who declared she’d like it “gone”.

Senator Lines sparked an outcry on Thursday after telling The Australian that as an atheist, she did not want to say the prayer, which has been read by presiding officers since 1901.

Labor’s Senate leader Penny Wong and deputy Senate leader Don Farrell responded in a joint statement, saying: “Senators Wong and Farrell share the view that the prayer should continue to be read at the commencement of each sitting day.

“Decisions about standing orders are for the Senate as a whole. Any changes should aim to unite senators rather than divide, as was demonstrated yesterday when the Senate agreed unanimously to display the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.”

Katy Gallagher, manager of government business in the Senate, said there was a “clear view that the Lord’s Prayer is to stay”.

“I don’t mind the prayer,” Senator Gallagher told The Australian. “I’m not a religious person but it is very much part of the ­Senate tradition.

“My view is how you run the chamber relies on a collegiate ­discussion across the chamber and there’s a clear view that the Lord’s Prayer is to stay.”

While the Coalition also rejected the change, Greens Tasmanian senator Nick McKim said the party was considering whether to try to replace the prayer with a period of reflection or silence.

“The Greens have had a longstanding position that at the start of the parliamentary day, there should be a period of reflection, a period of silence that would allow politicians of any religious persuasion and politicians of no ­religious persuasion whatsoever, an opportunity to reflect on our collective responsibilities to the Australian people. That remains our position,” he said.

“We’ve got it under consideration in terms of any actions we might take – like a motion or a reference to a particular committee.”

Opposition Senate leader Simon Birmingham, who like senators Wong, Farrell, Gallagher, Lines and McKim sits on the chamber’s committee that considers procedural matters, said a prayer as old as the parliament that comes from centuries of Westminster tradition should not be stopped.

“It has evolved with the appropriate addition of the acknowledgment of country and now provides for a respectful and reflective start of proceedings,” Senator Birmingham said.

“Even those of us who are not of faith can benefit from the ­period of reflection these commencement traditions allow for and should respect rather than unwind them.”

Despite the standing orders dictating that it is the Senate president who shall read the prayer when they take the chair each day, independent MP Bob Katter suggested the deputy president or another senator could take Senator Lines’ place.

“There is no reason why she can’t stand aside and get someone else to read the prayer out,” he said.

Queensland Liberal senator James McGrath, who also sits on the procedure committee, accused Labor of “poor priorities and pointless virtue signalling”.

“Why do the left always want to trash our traditions?” he said.

Bob Katter suggested Sue Lines could ‘stand aside and get someone else to read the prayer out’. Picture: Gary Ramage