After months of speculation since Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan voiced her support for a replacement of the Lord’s Prayer in January this year, Attorney General Jaclyn Symes sensationally denied in a recent Legislative Council debate that the Andrews-Allan Government had committed to not remove the Lord’s Prayer from the Parliament. She said during the debate, “There is no proposal to remove the Lord’s Prayer from the Parliament. We have not been considering a proposal” , a clear change from 2021 when, commenting on whether the Prayer would be continued in Parliament, they announced that they were “workshopping a replacement model that is purpose fit for Victoria”. The Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) Victorian Director, Jasmine Yuen, who was joined in the gallery during the debate by a large group of Christian constituents, said, “The Attorney General appeared to be under pressure due to the large number of the faith community present, along with the Opposition’s accusation that the Government is attempting to remove faith from the Parliament.
Nevertheless, we thank the Allan Government for acknowledging the will of Victorians and refusing to succumb to pressure from some who want to cancel and erase our history. “This debate has united the Victorian community in many ways. The call to retain the Lord’s Prayer in Parliament came from diverse faith communities including Catholic, Anglican, Muslim, Jewish and Hindu; Approximately 11,000 Victorians signed a petition; A hundred pastors and priests signed a joint letter to the Premier and Deputy Premier; Thousands of ACL supporters emailed the Premier and their local MPs in response to a series of ACL social media campaigns on the topic. “Combined, a strong and powerful message was sent to the Government that the Lord’s Prayer is indeed important, including for the multicultural community in Victoria, because it represents our history and Judeo-Christian tradition. It has been good to witness the Government listening in this instance and backing away from their initial plan. “This is a win for all Victorians who united and worked together for the common good regardless of faith, ethnicity or background.
Source: Australian Christian Lobby
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