I’ve been pretty critical of some of the Christian propaganda regarding the ethics classes as nothing more than scare-mongering, but you at least have presented a case convincing enough to make a securlarist listen… well, if they get the chance to read it. You’ve convinced me.

Since when did Australia become a secular country anyway? Can this be documented? Or is this a rhetorical claim from some to the higher ground with no real foundation?

If I understand them properly, 19th century debates that lie behind the SRE in public schools, at least, were not about excluding any religion, but ensuring that Australia was a place that there was freedom of religion for all — even moreso than in the British countries of origin from which the white settlers came. In other words, analogies from UK or USA (as so often) really don’t apply to this country of ours. If the Government got out of supporting churches (as they did) it was not to wipe them out, but to allow them all to flourish. If they established an education system suitable for all (which they did), it was not to wipe out religious instruction, but, lo and behold!, our education act left room for that religious instruction to still have a place in the weekly timetable. This is NOT an anti-religious secularism; it is a pro-religious freedom.