26-February-2006
Speeches, Community
University of Sydney
Ladies and Gentlemen
I feel somewhat inadequate speaking to a room full of professionals about things you offer to Australian society.
I was a product of the faith-based system – in my case the Catholic school system in Victoria – so I have that insight into the special commitment of so many in your schools.
I admire what you do – you are providing great leadership, at the coal-face; leadership in values, morals, ethics and spirituality.
My wife, Maureen, is an English teacher. And Maureen has taught in the Government system and in a number of Catholic girls and boys colleges. It’s given me an appreciation of how tough, at times, providing that leadership can be, especially in a secular society and in a global world where children are confronted with many competing values.
When I was reflecting on the role you play, and the difficulty of leadership, I was reminded of an account in a book by Pulitzer Prize winning author, Robert Coles, in his book Lives of Moral Leadership which I read over Christmas, along with a few detective novels!
The account was of a discussion Robert Coles had with a six year old child, Ruby Bridges, as she pioneered school desegregation in the South of the United States in the early 1960s.
“Ruby... had no political, ideological, moral, or philosophical goals that she could spell out, but she knew to say the following as she reflected upon the consequences of her attending a previously all-white school, against the daily opposition of a vociferous mob: “I try and get there, and I figure if I do, the other kids might say they’re willing to try and go, too, and pretty soon, it could be better for us here…
How good is that? Maybe Ruby’s own self-description can be of help to us who seek definitions of moral leadership: “I got picked by accident, because we live here and it all happened! When Lady Luck comes and visits you do your best, Granny says, and then you know in your bones that no way you should let them win you over, because there is all the folks, they’re in this with you, the other kids.”
Leadership is demanding, but inspiring and rewarding – it’s why you are all here I suspect.
I don’t want to repeat the sentiments I read out in the Prime Minister’s message – sentiments I strongly endorse about your contribution to the teaching of values, morals and ethics. I want to spend the time I have left discussing one of your other roles, your contribution to introducing a spiritual dimension to so many Australian lives.
We live in a secular society, and secular society has served Australia well for 200 years. But a secular society doesn’t replace the need for a spiritual component in our lives.
I would like to reflect on the nature of our society and look for some of the issues it raises, what it means for faith-based schools, especially in regards to spirituality.
I sense in an increasingly globalised, secular world there is a growing yearning for spirituality both inside and outside of the faith based groups within our community.
Australia is interesting in the western world in relation to its secularity. Although the west in general has been undergoing a process of secularisation for hundreds of years, many see Australia as uncommonly secular – while belief in God is high, regular involvement in at least most Christian dominations, is low. And, interestingly, this seems associated with an upsurge of spirituality in a secular, non-church context.
Of course, many of the secularised features of our society were historically designed to avoid sectarian conflict within the Christian sector. Measurements of the growing secularity of our society are difficult, but a decline in Church affiliation and involvement gives us some idea.
In the 1911 Census 99.5% of the population identified with a religion, 98.5% being Christian religions. In 1996 74.5% identified themselves with a religion, 71% Christian.
Statistics on church attendance tells a stronger story with an estimated regular attendance of between 2 and 10%.
No doubt the gap between nominally belonging to a religion and regular attendances has grown significantly over the last few decades. While this growth in nominal adherents to traditional churches has been taking place, there has been a growth in alternative spiritualities and religions, but much of this growth appears not to be coming from nominal adherents but from the already religious.
While Australians have been vosaking formal observance of religion there appears to be a growing interest in the spiritual. Not only a reportedly big increase in those taking up theological studies or optional spiritual courses, as distinct from religious courses, at universities, but more importantly there appears to be a growing public expression of spirituality. And, a significant amount of this appears to be in a non-Church secular context.
The emergence of spirituality is being seen in relation to the indigenous, the environment, the landscape and especially to war remembrance, the spiritual imperative for many contemporary Australians appears to be being fulfilled by secular spirituality.
The most obvious of these emerging secular spiritualities are what are being now termed the “sacred dimensions” of Anzac Day and journeys to Gallipoli. The moving ritual of the “dawn service”.
Secularism argues generally for a sphere of knowledge, a sphere of values and action that is independent of religious authority, but it does not necessarily exclude religion from having any authority or influence over political or social affairs – and it certainly does not exclude religion from having authority or influence over spiritual affairs.
However if I am right about the rise of secular spirituality this suggests to me that we can’t automatically assume that people’s spiritual needs can be met by faith-based schools.
But in parallel with the rise in so-called secular spirituality we’ve seen a dramatic increase in the demand for education at faith based schools.
It suggests to me that more and more Australians see a legitimate and increasingly crucial role for faith-based schools to convey, to teach, to introduce strong values, strong morals, strong ethics, and an emphasis on the importance of some spirituality in our lives.
I have no doubt that there is a natural and fundamental human desire for spirituality but if you are to play a continuing and increasing role – to get back to Ruby – it will require all of you to continue to show strong leadership, to be out of the comfort zone.
I admire the role you have played in providing this leadership over the years when some of these things were going out of fashion, and I give you my best wishes in your efforts to provide strong and critical leadership into the future.
We need you.
[ends]
MESSAGE FROM THE PRIME MINISTER
It is with great pleasure that I send my best wishes to all those attending the faith-based schools symposium.
This forum provides a valuable opportunity for school communities of different religious faiths to share ideas on the challenges of preparing our youth for the demands of a rapidly changing society and instilling in them from an early age the values we need to live together in a peaceful society. As leaders of the school community, you play a vital role not only in helping young Australians develop the foundation skills to live, work and participate in society, but also to help them find the right path in life - a path that will suit each individual.
The Australian Government is committed to ensuring that our school system offers choice to parents in selecting the school environment that best meets their children’s neds and supports family values. We are working closely with state and territory governments to support the teaching of values in schools to ensure that our youth will have the capacity to exercise judgement and responsibility in matters of morality, ethics and social justice.
This gathering also provides an opportunity for us to acknowledge with great pride the religious freedom and tolerance we enjoy in the Australian society. We should all be very proud that our nation is home to people from many different faiths and cultures, united by a common commitment to fairness, tolerance and respect for our values and tradition. The commitment of all Australians to a nation united by tolerance, mutual respect and care for others helps make us the strong and vibrant nation we are today.
I would like to congratulate the organisers of the symposium and send my best wishes to all those attending for what I am sure will be a very successful and very worthwhile event.
The Hon John Howard MP
Prime Minister of Australia