Prayer in parliamentary proceedings

The Lord's Prayer's place in the Victorian Parliament has been the source of ongoing debate for many years. It was first read to introduce proceedings of the Victorian Legislative Council in 1857, while the Legislative Assembly took up the procedure in 1928. Since then, the Lord’s Prayer has been a mainstay of each house.   
 
As Victorian society has become more multicultural and Victorians’ religious affiliations have broadened beyond Christianity, recent decades have seen more people question the practice. There has been recurrent debate in the Legislative Council in particular, but the 60th Parliament has seen the issue gain traction in the Legislative Assembly as well. 
 
This Research Note examines the origins of prayer in the Victorian Parliament, revisiting the debates that led to the Lord’s Prayer’s establishment in daily proceedings. It then looks at the current context of debate, given the changing state of Victoria’s religious diversity and the rise of people who identify as having no religion, and considers the practice of prayer in parliaments around Australia and the world. The paper also summarises some of the key debates that have shaped the conversation about prayer in parliament in recent years.