PROFESSOR GARY D BOUMA UNESCO CHAIR IN INTERRELIGIOUS AND INTERCULTURAL RELATIONS – ASIA PACIFIC

1. PROFESSOR GARY D BOUMAUNESCO CHAIR IN INTERRELIGIOUS AND INTERCULTURAL RELATIONS – ASIA PACIFIC RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY, FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND EDUCATION POLICY: A Multi-faith Society Dilemma Bouma, Gary, Des Cahill, Hass Delall and Athalia Zwartz 2011 Freedom of Religion and Belief in 21st Century. AHRC http://www.hreoc.gov.au/frb/report/index.html Bouma, Gary 2011 Being Faithful In Diversity: Religions and Social Policy in Multi-Faith Societies. ATF

2. MULTI-FAITH SOCIETIES • BI-CULTURAL / BI-FAITH • HOW MULTI-FAITH • DEMOGRAPHICALLY - COMMON • CONSTITUTIONALLY – RARE • MOST EUROPEAN STATES ARE XTN • IN SELF-IDENTITY – RARER STILL • A CONSEQUENCE OF DEMOGRAPHY

3. RELIGIONS AND SOCIAL POLICY AIMS • TO PROVIDE A FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYSING RELIGION AND SOCIAL POLICY – where diversity / pluralism meet. • TO PRESENT THE FACTS OF AUSTRALIAN RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY AS AN EXAMPLE OF DIVERSITY • TO USE ISSUES RAISED FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND BELIEF AND SOCIAL POLICY AS EXAMPLE OF ‘PLURALISM’

4. BASIC ARGUMENT • NATIONAL RELIGIOUS IDENTITY • INFLUENCES EDUCATIONAL POLICY • IS AFFECTED BY CHANGES IN RELIGIOUS PROFILE (DEMOGRAPHY) • WHICH ALSO AFFECTS EDUCATION POLICY • RECENT INCREASES IN RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY  DIFFICULTIES IN SOLVING ISSUES IN EDUCATION POLICY

5. HOW ARE RELIGIONS RELATED TO SOCIAL POLICY? FOUR BASIC WAYS 1. As OBJECTS of policy • Limits to Religious diversity, registration, which are permitted, regulated, ‘charities’ • Civic presence permitted / not • Training into religious belief in state schools • Regulation of marriage, burial, food,circumcision m & f • Usual rules applying to organisations

6. RELIGIONS AND SOCIAL POLICY II 2. As INSTIGATORS of policy • Religious ethics and values are sources of images of the ideal society which followers (may/must) seek to make real. • abortion, RU 486, Religious instruction • Family forms , limits to alcohol availability • 1950s, 1960s anti-discrimination laws • Anti-slavery, child labour, • Within group diversities now make this harder to achieve

7. RELIGIONS AND SOCIAL POLICY III 3. As CRITICS of policy • E.g. gambling, anti-war, no-fault divorce • Refugee policies, social justice 4. As IMPLEMENTERS of policy • Faith based orgs – social services, education, hospitals • High Percentage of tax dollars channelled through FBOs • With what protections??

8. AUSTRALIAN SOCIAL POLICY CONTEXT – RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY SOURCES OF DIVERSITY • Migration – Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus • Catholics - substantial growth since 1947 • Conversion – Pentecostals, Spiritualities • Rise of NONES • Note Australia has been multicultural for over 40,000 years

9. RELIGIOUS CHANGE IN AUSTRALIA % in 1911 1947 1966 1991 2006 2011 2021 Anglican 38.4 39.0 33.5 23.9 18.7 17.1 13 Catholic 22.4 20.7 26.2 27.4 25.8 25.3 23 MCPRU 26.5 22.1 19.4 12.9 8.7 7.7 5 CHRIST’N 96.9 88.0 88.2 74.1 63.9 61.1 50 NONES 0.2 0.3 0.8 12.9 18.7 22.3 32 Other Rels 0.8 0.5 0.7 2.6 5.6 7.2 11

10. AUSTRALIAN RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY III IN 2011 – Smaller Groups More Buddhists (2.5) than Baptists (1.6) More Muslims (2.2) than Lutherans (1.2) More Hindus (1.2) than Jews (0.4) Sikhs (0.3) up from 0.1 in 2006 4 X Witches 8k (0.04) as Quakers 2k (0.1) Pagans 17k (0.08), 14k Baha’i (0.06) Atheists (59k; 0.27) up 88%,

11. AUSTRALIAN RELIGIOUS IDENTITIES • ‘No Religion’ #1 in 5 of 8 territories and Capital cities • In Sydney: RC > None > Anglican > Islam> Buddhist > Uniting > Presbyterian. • In Melbourne: RC > None > Anglican >Orthodox > Uniting > Buddhist > Islam > Presbyterian > Hindu > Pentecostal. • In Adelaide: None > RC > Anglican > Uniting > Orthodox

12. CHANGE IN RELIGIOUS PROFILE  NEW NATIONAL IDENTITY THE DEMOGRAPHIC BASIS OF IDENTITY • ONCE BRITISH AND CHRISTIAN • THEN ‘SECULAR’ BUT CHRISTIAN • NOW? • Multi-faith • Religiously plural INCLUDING NONES

13. CONSEQUENCES OF INCREASED RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY • INCREASED INTER RELIGIOUS INTERACTION - AT ALL LEVELS • AWARENESS/ACCEPTANCE OF DIVERSITY  PLURALITY • RELIGIOUS REVITALISATION • SALIENCE OF IDENTITY, SOCIAL POLICY • CONSENSUS HARDER TO ACHIEVE • FEAR AND ANGER AT LOSS OF POWER, POSITION, INFLUENCE

14. THE RELIGION / EDUCATION POLICY CONTEXT • THREE BASIC VIEWS: • WHO ARE THE STUDENTS • WHO ARE THE TEACHERS • WHO ARE THE POLICY MAKERS • EACH HAS A DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHIC • Age/sex/migrant status • Other dimensions later

15. 2011 Census age and sex distribution: recent arrivals and Australian-bornhttp://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2071.0main+features902012-2013

16. SELECTED RELIGIONS - % LONGER-STANDING (20 yrs +) AND RECENTLY ARRIVED MIGRANTS ABS 2011 http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2071.0main+features902012-2013

17. IMPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATION POLICY • POLICY MAKERS DISPROPORTIATELY AUS-BORN • PUPILS 50/50 AUS/ NOT AUS BORN • MULTIPLE LANGUAGES/CULTURES • GREATER RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY • THE 24-39 GROUP HUGELY RECENT • PARENTS • Each religious group has some migrants

18. RELIGION BY AGE 2011 CENSUS • AGE %0-24 25-44 45-64 64+ • Anglican 24.4 22.9 30.8 21.9 • Catholic 33.9 26.7 25.3 14.1 • U/P/R 21.2 19.9 33.1 25.8 • Buddhist 29.6 36.1 27.6 6.7 • Muslim 46.5 35.3 14.9 3.4 • No Religion 39.8 32.8 21.0 6.4 • NATIONAL 32.6 28.0 25.4 14.0

19. AGE BY RELIGION AGE 5-24 25-34 55-64 85+ Anglican 13.3% 11.3% 22.3% 29.3% Catholic 26.8% 22.5% 24.3% 22.5% Uniting 3.8% 3.0% 6.8% 10.2% Buddhist 2.4% 3.3% 2.4% 0.8% Muslim 3.0% 3.3% 1.0% 0.2% Hindu 1.2% 3.2% 0.6% 0.1% Jew 0.4% 0.4% 0.6% 1.0% None 26.2% 28.2% 16.8% 7.6%

20. SCHOOLING IN AUSTRALIA 66% go to gov; 34% to non-gov schools • Catholics 20%; other religious 14% • Baptist, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian and Seventh-day Adventist, non-denom, Muslim, Jewish, and others. • Highest non-gov in OECD

21. IMPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATION POLICY • CATHOLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM SOLID • ANGLICAN / BRITISH PROTS • LOW BIRTH RATE/ LOW RETENTION FEW KIDS, But Elite Schools • MUSLIM SCHOOLS GROWING (32 in 2011) • +DEMAND SENSITIVE STATE SCHOOLS • HINDUS NOW SEEKING SCHOOLS

22. MORE IMPLICATIONS • BUDDHISTS ??? • RISE OF NO RELIGION  DEMAND FREEDOM FROM RELIGION • MORE PRESURE AGAINST SCHOOL CHAPLAINCY / EXISTING SRI pgms • RISE IN PENTECOSTAL / INDEPENDENT EVANGELICAL GROUPS – MORE SEPARATE SCHOOLS FOR THEM (152 in 2011)

23. RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY AND ED POLICY I • E.g General Religious and Ethics Ed vs Special Religious Instruction • Current curriculum religion blind • Most teachers negative about religion • ‘No Religion’ parents protesting • ‘religious’ parents want faith friendly environment • Rising issues with Science • Evolution, sexuality,

24. RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY AND EDUCATION POLICY II ISSUES • Provision of prayer rooms, times • Dietary observance in cafeteria • Uniform regulations • Turbans, head scarves, • Gender mix in classes / sport • Feasts and Festivals

25. PROBLEM = WHO DECIDES, HOW AND ON WHAT CRITERIA? • The reality of diversity really bites here!!! • Use ‘Universal Values’, NO – just as coercive as religious bases • ‘Christian’ values – why, which, whose? • The need for vital civil society • To off-set state control of everything • To enable voices to be heard and decisions reached • To counter market domination, majoritarianism

26. PERSISTENT ISSUES • TO WHOM ARE RELIGIOUS GROUPS ACCOUNTABLE? • WHAT ARE THE LIMITS TO FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND BELIEF? • HOW TO MODERATE THE IMPACT OF STRONGLY HELD BELIEFS OF SOME ON THOSE WHO DO NOT HOLD THEM?