There is debate right now on the relevance of the Lord's Prayer being recited at the beginning of each day in the Victorian Parliament. An attempt in the Federal Parliament to remove the Lord's Prayer I opposed some ten years ago.

The undersigned, as citizens of Australia ask that the use of the Lord's Prayer to be retained by Parliament as integral to good government and Australia's national heritage

Lord's Prayer to be retained

This is the Hansard from that time, "The late Bishop John Wilson, bishop, pastor, friend and father: I want to recognise what he did when I asked him to write a preamble for a petition with regard to the Lord's Prayer."

"His preamble draws the attention of the House to its practice. This is what he wrote about praying the Lord's Prayer. We therefore ask the House to take into consideration that, we, the undersigned as citizens of Australia, ask that the use of the Lord's Prayer be retained by Parliament as integral to good government and Australia's national heritage," said Mr Broadbent.

Acknowledging the humanity

The prayer acknowledges our shared and common humanity under a caring God, in a context of humility and respect; It asks God to fulfil his just purposes for the earth; It seeks from God the provision of our daily needs and requires by implication generosity on our part; It confesses our need to be forgiven and to forgive;

It recognises the lure of corruption and our entanglement with evil, from which we need to be delivered; and finally, it places our lives and actions in an eternal perspective.

Even for those who do not pray to God, the recitation of these words at the beginning of the Parliament allows a few moments for quiet reflection on our shared humanity, our daily dependence on the good things of the earth, our need to forgive and be forgiven, the temptations of office, and the broader perspective against which our efforts must be judged. Such a time is not wasted. That's just as I see it.

Pictures from the Gospel Coalition website.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

• Darren Chester discusses democracy, civics and federal parliament with St Paul's Year 9 students in Traralgon
  Darren Chester visited St Paul's Anglican Grammar School in Traralgon, discussing civics, democracy, Parliament and community issues with engaged Year 9 students and encouraging young people to participate in Australia's democratic process.
• Darren Chester welcomes Mallacoota students to Parliament House during Canberra visit, discussing democracy and the role of elected representatives
  Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester welcomed Mallacoota P-12 College students to Parliament House during their Canberra visit, discussing Federal Parliament, democracy and the role of elected representatives.
• One Gippsland delegation met Darren Chester at Parliament House to discuss key regional infrastructure and investment priorities
  Federal Member Darren Chester met One Gippsland representatives at Parliament House to discuss regional priorities, including roads, housing, healthcare, disaster resilience, industry investment and job creation.
• Wellington Shire Council opposes mandatory fourth glass recycling bin, urging Victoria to allow council flexibility instead
  Wellington Shire Council has again urged the Victorian government to scrap mandatory household glass bins, citing costs, practicality and existing Container Deposit Scheme success while seeking greater flexibility for regional councils.
• Darren Chester urges federal government to restore wild dog funding, backing farmers' calls for national management certainty
  Shadow Minister Darren Chester is urging the federal government to restore national wild dog funding, warning of $302 million annual agricultural losses and significant impacts on farmers, wildlife and regional communities.
• Heyfield childcare faces closure after losing federal funding, putting local families, educators and essential community services at risk
  Heyfield's only childcare service faces closure after losing $270,000 in federal funding, prompting Darren Chester to seek urgent assistance while a Senate inquiry examines rural and regional child care access.
• Gippsland community groups share $60,000 in Federal Volunteer Grants to strengthen local organisations and support volunteers
  Twenty-four Gippsland not-for-profit organisations will share more than $60,000 in federal grants to improve volunteering, reduce barriers to participation and strengthen local communities.
• Darren Chester congratulates Maffra student Jaxon Marshall on National Youth Parliament selection representing Gippsland in Canberra
  Maffra Secondary College student Jaxon Marshall will represent Gippsland at the 2026 National Youth Parliament, earning praise from Darren Chester for bringing regional and agricultural perspectives to Canberra.
• Maffra student Jaxon Marshall champions resilient agriculture during National Youth Parliament visit to Canberra
  Maffra student Jaxon Marshall represented Gippsland at National Youth Parliament, delivering a passionate speech advocating resilient agriculture, regenerative farming, research and stronger support for farmers and Australia’s future.
• Visa delays threaten regional harvest workforce as farmers and tourism employers demand urgent federal government action before summer
  Farmers, tourism operators and regional employers warn visa delays could cause critical workforce shortages during summer harvest and tourism periods, urging the Federal government to restore timely visa processing.