Summary:
The Australian Christian Freedom Index 2025, published in May 2026 by Australian Heart Publishing, presents the first comprehensive national audit of Christian religious freedom in Australia. Drawing on a survey of over 10,800 Christians, a legislative review across all states and territories, and detailed case studies, the report documents a marked and accelerating decline in Christian freedoms over the past quarter-century. Key findings include a sharp rise in restrictive legislation, widespread self-censorship among Christians, and significant institutional pressures on faith-based schools and hospitals. Victoria is identified as the most restrictive state, while Western Australia is the least. The report highlights notable legal cases and incidents illustrating the personal and professional costs of expressing Christian beliefs. Recommendations call for constitutional reform, robust federal legislation, and coordinated advocacy to safeguard religious liberty. The Index serves as both a warning and a roadmap for policymakers, faith leaders, and the public, emphasizing the urgent need for action to protect foundational freedoms.
Detailed Report
1. First National Audit of Christian Freedom in Australia
The Australian Christian Freedom Index 2025, released by Australian Heart Publishing and produced by the Canberra Declaration and Australian Heart Ministries, is the first systematic national measurement of Christian freedom in Australia. The Index combines a legislative audit across nine jurisdictions, a national survey, historical research, and case studies. It is endorsed by major Christian leaders and organizations, including Australian Christian Churches, and aims to inform the public and policymakers about the current state and drivers of religious freedom in the country.
2. Key Survey Findings: Rising Risk and Self-Censorship
A national survey conducted from late February to early April 2026 gathered responses from 10,808 Christians across all eight states and territories. According to the report, the results reveal a consistent pattern of perceived increasing pressure:
· 92% of respondents believe it is riskier to affirm Christian beliefs publicly now than five years ago.
· 73% feel pressured to keep their beliefs private in public, online, or at work.
· 42% have experienced hostility, threats, or harassment for expressing a Christian worldview.
· 25% report being denied opportunities in work, volunteering, or leadership due to their faith.
· Only 24% feel free to share their faith in public settings, with this figure dropping to 19% in Christian education, 13% in workplace settings, and 8% in Christian healthcare. Over 80% say Christian schools are restricted or heavily restricted, and 92% report the same for Christian hospitals.
3. Legislative Findings: How Australian Parliaments Have Narrowed Religious Freedom
The Index documents 74 Acts of Parliament restricting religious freedom enacted since 2000, with nearly half passed in the last five years — approximately triple the rate of the previous two decades. These laws include bans on conversion practices (criminalizing certain prayer and pastoral care), vilification laws enabling complaints against biblical teaching on sexuality, healthcare referral mandates overriding conscience rights, and funding conditions that force compliance with policies contrary to Christian ethics. The report notes that Section 116 of the Australian Constitution — the primary constitutional provision intended to prevent the federal government from establishing a religion or prohibiting its free exercise — provides only minimal protections, and governments have not expanded upon it. This has resulted in religious freedom being treated as a series of narrow exemptions rather than a positive right.
4. State Rankings: Where Religious Freedom Is Most and Least Protected
The Index ranks jurisdictions using a Restriction Index based on an audit of 20 specific legislative measures affecting religious freedom. Victoria scores highest (most restrictive) at 15 out of a possible 20, driven by its Equal Opportunity Act, conversion practices ban, and broad vilification provisions that limit religious bodies’ ability to hire according to faith. The Australian Capital Territory follows closely at 14.5. Western Australia records the lowest score at 8, reflecting greater resistance to several restrictive measures, although proposed anti-discrimination reforms could narrow that gap. Other jurisdictions fall in between: South Australia (10.5), Queensland (9.5), New South Wales (9), and Tasmania/Northern Territory (both 8.5).
Even in lower-scoring states, significant constraints remain in place nationwide, including compulsory referral requirements for abortion and voluntary assisted dying in most jurisdictions, and safe access zones around abortion facilities that restrict public prayer and street preaching. The report notes that defensive legislative wins have occurred in some states when proposed bills were withdrawn or amended following public scrutiny.
5. The Cultural and Legal Forces Behind the Decline
The report highlights an accelerating pace of restrictive legislation in the last five years, driven by increasing secularization of Australian law and public life. The expansion of complaint-based anti-discrimination regimes has created a chilling effect, with a cultural shift framing public Christian expression as controversial, particularly on issues of gender, sexuality, and family. The emergence of a “rule of silence” is noted, whereby Christians feel compelled to keep their faith private. The lack of positive legal protections and the inadequacy of Section 116 are emphasized, alongside institutional pressures on Christian schools and hospitals, which risk losing accreditation, funding, or legal standing. The report also notes that most Australians are unaware of the extent of this erosion, as changes have been gradual and often framed in the language of equality. Census data shows Christian affiliation declining from 52.1% in 2016 to 43.9% in 2021, while “no religion” rose to 38.9%; Christianity remains the largest faith with over 11 million adherents. The Index identifies both external legislative and cultural pressures and internal factors within parts of the Christian community, including doctrinal drift and a reluctance to defend religious liberty publicly, as contributing to the current environment.
6. Lawfare, Discipline and Defamation — Cases That Define the Trend
The Index documents several high-profile cases:
· Bernard Gaynor, a former Army officer and commentator, incurred over $1 million in legal costs defending against 43 vilification complaints related to his public expression of Christian beliefs.
· Dr. Jereth Kok, a Melbourne GP, lost his medical registration for social media posts expressing orthodox Christian views.
· Kirralee Smith, a Christian activist, was fined $95,000 for unlawful vilification; the fine is stayed pending appeal.
· Andrew Thorburn resigned as CEO of Essendon Football Club after scrutiny of his church’s views on sexuality.
· Citipointe Christian College in Brisbane withdrew an enrolment contract stating doctrinal positions on marriage and sex after public backlash; the principal resigned.
· Melbourne Pastor Paul Furlong spent 17 days in jail, including 14 in solitary confinement, for keeping his church open during COVID-19 lockdowns.
· Dr. William Bay, a Queensland GP, faced disciplinary action over COVID-19 and Christian beliefs but won a first-round legal battle to regain his registration.
· Steve Forkin, a Christian minister, successfully appealed a COVID-19 conviction but was suspended from ministry by his church.
· Elizabeth Kendall, a lay minister, stepped down after the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne prohibited conduct to change or suppress a child’s gender identity or sexual orientation.
· St Mary’s Anglican Church in Armidale apologized after informing its organist his role was incompatible with his same-sex marriage.
· Byron and Keira Hordyk, a Western Australian couple, were prevented from fostering children due to their biblical views and engaged in costly litigation.
· In Tickle v Giggle, the Federal Court ruled in 2024 that “sex” under the Sex Discrimination Act is “changeable and not necessarily binary,” a decision upheld in 2026, destabilizing categories used by faith-based institutions.
· All jurisdictions enforce safe access zones around abortion facilities, restricting street preaching and public prayer; the High Court upheld their constitutionality.
· The report references the Voice of the Martyrs’ eight-stage persecution scale — a framework used to map the progression of hostility against Christians, from social ridicule through to physical persecution and martyrdom — noting that Australian Christians have experienced the first five stages, with imprisonment now a reality for some.
7. Healthcare, Education and the Workplace Under Pressure
Healthcare is identified as the most restrictive sector, with mandates requiring referral for abortion, euthanasia, and transgender surgeries; only Tasmania allows a “clean exit” for conscientious objection. In education, 80% of respondents say Christian schools are restricted, with laws in several states requiring the hiring of staff who do not share the institution’s beliefs. In the workplace, only 13% feel free to express their faith, with widespread self-censorship and one in four denied opportunities. In public life, only 24% feel free to share their faith, and street preaching and public prayer are increasingly restricted. Christian families with traditional views face barriers to fostering and adoption, often requiring costly litigation to challenge decisions.
8. Recommendations and Policy Implications
The Index concludes with 42 recommendations, including a call for a constitutional amendment via referendum to enshrine a positive right to freedom of speech and religion, moving beyond Section 116. It also proposes an Australian Freedoms Act to provide robust federal protections for religious belief, speech, and practice. The report urges the repeal or reform of restrictive laws, legal guarantees for Christian institutions to operate according to faith-based principles, and safeguarding of free speech in all settings. Coordinated advocacy, ongoing monitoring, and public education are recommended, along with political support for candidates committed to restoring religious freedoms.
Conclusion
The Australian Christian Freedom Index 2025 provides a comprehensive and data-driven assessment of the state of Christian religious freedom in Australia. The report documents a rapid and systemic erosion of freedoms, driven by legislative change, cultural shifts, and institutional pressures. Its findings underscore the urgent need for legal reform, public awareness, and coordinated advocacy to protect the rights of Christians and preserve foundational liberties for all Australians.