Editing Culture of Australia (section)

==Religion==
{{Main|Religion in Australia}}
[[File:Joseph Lycett Corroboree Newcastle.jpg|thumb|''[[Corroboree]] at [[Newcastle, New South Wales|Newcastle]]'' by convict artist [[Joseph Lycett]], ca. 1818. Aboriginal Australian religious practices associated with the [[Dreamtime]] have been practised for tens of thousands of years.]]

Australia has no official state religion and the [[Australian Constitution]] prohibits the Commonwealth government from [[established church|establishing a church]] or interfering with the [[freedom of religion]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/general/constitution/chapter5.htm |title=Parliament of Australia: Senate: Constitution – Chapter 5 |publisher=Aph.gov.au |date=21 May 2003 |access-date=29 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116165850/http://www.aph.gov.au/SEnate/general/constitution/chapter5.htm |archive-date=16 January 2011 }}</ref> According to the 2011 [[Australian Census]], 61.1% of Australians were listed as [[Christians|Christian]]. Historically, this proportion has been higher and a growing proportion of the population define themselves as [[Irreligion in Australia|irreligious]], with 22.3% of Australians declaring "no religion" on the census. There are also growing communities of various other religions.<ref name="abs.gov.au">{{cite web|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2071.0main+features902012-2013 |title=2071.0 – Reflecting a Nation: Stories from the 2011 Census, 2012–2013 |date=21 June 2012 |publisher=abs.gov.au |access-date=9 October 2015 }}</ref> From the early decades after federation, people from diverse religious backgrounds have held public office. The first Jewish Governor General, [[Isaac Isaacs]], was selected by the first Catholic prime minister, [[James Scullin]], in the 1930s.<ref>{{Citation |last=Robertson |first=J. R. |title=Scullin, James Henry (1876–1953) |url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/scullin-james-henry-8375 |work=Australian Dictionary of Biography |access-date=2023-06-17 |place=Canberra |publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University |language=en}}</ref> In the 21st-century, some prime ministers have identified as religious, others as non-religious.

[[File:Mary MacKillop.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Mary MacKillop|St Mary Mackillop]] established an extensive network of schools and is Australia's first [[canonised]] [[saint]] of the [[Catholic Church]].]]
Christianity has had an enduring impact on Australia. At the time of Federation in 1901, 97% of Australians professed to be Christians. The Anglican Church (formerly [[Church of England]]) remained the largest denomination until 1986, when it was surpassed by the Roman Catholic Church. Australian Catholics were predominantly of Irish origin until post-World War II immigration brought more than a million Catholics from elsewhere in Europe. The Christian festivals of [[Christmas]] and [[Easter]] are national public holidays in Australia. Christian charitable organisations, hospitals and schools have played a prominent role in welfare and education since colonial times. In 2008, 20% of total students attended [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] schools.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110606034747/http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/0/93EB4563583425CCCA25773700169C91?opendocument Year Book Australia, 2009–10: Primary and Secondary Education: School attendance]</ref> Christian organisations such as the [[Society of Saint Vincent de Paul|St. Vincent de Paul Society]], the [[Salvation Army]] and [[Anglicare]] provide social services throughout Australia. Historically significant Christians include preachers [[David Unaipon]], the first Aboriginal author, and the Reverend [[John Flynn (minister)|John Flynn]], who founded the [[Royal Flying Doctor Service]]. Suffragette [[Catherine Helen Spence]] was not only Australia's first female political candidate, but also one of its first female preachers.<ref>[http://www.rba.gov.au/Museum/Displays/1988_onwards_polymer_currency_notes/centenary_of_federation.html Museum of Australian Currency Notes: Centenary of Federation<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20121203085908/http://www.rba.gov.au/Museum/Displays/1988_onwards_polymer_currency_notes/centenary_of_federation.html |date=3 December 2012 }}</ref> [[Mary MacKillop]], who co-founded an order of nuns in the 19th century, called the [[Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart|Sisters of St. Joseph]], became the first Australian to be canonised as a Catholic Saint in 2010,<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/10/20101017144255773848.html |title=Nun becomes first Australian saint |date=17 October 2010 |publisher = [[Al Jazeera Arabic|Al Jazeera]] |access-date=20 October 2010}}</ref> and Sir [[Douglas Nicholls]], a preacher and Aboriginal rights activist was the first Indigenous Australian to be appointed Governor of an Australian State.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/messagestick/stories/s3014566.htm|title=Bloodlines: The Nicholls Family|last=Corowa|first=Miriam|date=19 September 2010|work=Message Stick|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|access-date=3 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112123902/http://www.abc.net.au/tv/messagestick/stories/s3014566.htm|archive-date=12 January 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Nan-Tien-Temple.jpg|thumb|[[Nan Tien Temple]], a [[Buddhist]] temple in [[Wollongong]]. Multicultural immigration has increased Australia's religious diversity.]]
The proportion of the total population who are Christian fell from 71% in 1996 to around 61.1% in 2011, while people affiliated with non-Christian religions increased from around 3.5% to 7.2% over the same period.<ref name="abs.gov.au"/> [[Buddhism]] increased most rapidly from 1.1% to 2.5%. Increased immigration from South-East Asia has been a major factor in this growth, but Australians of Anglo-Celtic origin have also shown increasing interest in Buddhism. [[Islam]] increased during the period from 1.1% to 2.2% with diverse communities concentrated mainly in Sydney and Melbourne. The [[history of the Jews in Australia]] dates back to the First Fleet, which brought Jewish convicts to Sydney in 1788. Today, many Jews in Australia originated as refugees and [[Holocaust survivor]]s who arrived during and after World War II.<ref name="jewishvirtuallibrary.org">{{Cite web |title=Australia Virtual Jewish History Tour |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/australia-virtual-jewish-history-tour |access-date=2023-06-17 |website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org}}</ref> [[Hindus]] came to Australia as laborers and merchants during the 19th century and numbers increased dramatically from the 1960s, more than doubling between 1996 and 2006.<ref name="dfat.gov.au">{{cite web|url=http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/religion.html |title=About Australia: Religious Freedom |publisher=Dfat.gov.au |access-date=29 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101122061450/http://dfat.gov.au/facts/religion.html |archive-date=22 November 2010 }}</ref>

The tradition and spirituality of Aboriginal Australians places great emphasis on the role of tribal Elders in passing down stories of the [[Dreaming (spirituality)|Dreaming]], and skills and lessons for survival (such as hunting and [[Aboriginal tracker|tracking]]). The creation story and belief system of the Aboriginal tradition, known in English as the ''[[Dreamtime]]'', reverences the land and the animals and spirits that inhabit the land and animals. European settlement introduced Indigenous Australians to Christianity, especially through "[[Mission (Christianity)|missions]]". There was a wide range of experiences of the missions by Aboriginal people.<ref name="dfat.gov.au"/>