Australia

Abstract

Australia is, as of the 2006 census, a multi-ethnic nation of 19.8 million people (ABS 2007a). European colonisation began in 1788 when Britain created a convict settlement in the area of modern Sydney and continues to be a migrant destination country. For the previous 50,000 years Australia was inhabited by Indigenous people (Roberts et al. 1994) with spiritual beliefs significant to their social and material existences (Berndt and Berndt 1992; Carey 1996). The British introduced Christianity, bringing England’s official church the Church of England or as it is now called, the Anglican Church (Breward 1988; Jupp 2001a). Christians of other denominations were also present in the early colony notably Catholics, Methodists, Congregationalists and Presbyterians. In the early decades of the nineteenth century clergy of these denominations also arrived (Kiernan 2001; Moll 2001). A small number of Jews were also present in Australia from the first days of British settlement (Rutland 2001a).

In 1977 the Methodist and most Congregationalist Churches merged with about half of Australia’s Presbyterians to form the Uniting Church (Bentley and Hughes 1996). Despite recent declines in memberships (ABS, 2004 2006, 2007a; Bouma 2006) the Catholic, Anglican, and Uniting churches remain Australia’s largest religious organisations and continue to be major social institutions. Their senior clerics hold public respect and attention particularly on social, moral and ethical issues. After many generations these churches still administer some of the nation’s most prestigious schools and university colleges and in recent times they have also become major providers of government funded welfare services.