Changes

The Australian public school system is "free, secular and compulsory" with the secular meaning without favour to any particular religion - most primary schools, however, do offer some form of non-compulsory religious education according to the parents' wishes.  The state systems of a number of states offer studies in religion at the senior level.

The Australian public school system is "free, secular and compulsory" with the secular meaning without favour to any particular religion - most primary schools, however, do offer some form of non-compulsory religious education according to the parents' wishes.  The state systems of a number of states offer studies in religion at the senior level.

There is a large Catholic school system in Australia with most parishes having their own primary school and many hundreds of Catholic high schools across the country.  There are also a large number of independent schools founded by various religions or denominations of the Christian faith - some hold that religious background to be more important than others.  All schools, state or religious, are funded by the government, as funding is provided for every student that is an Australian resident.  

There is a large Catholic school system in Australia with most parishes having their own primary school and many hundreds of Catholic high schools across the country.  There are also a large number of independent schools founded by various religions or denominations of the Christian faith - some hold that religious background to be more important than others.  All schools, state or religious, receive government funding, as funding is provided for every student that is an Australian resident.  

At the time of European settlement, aboriginal inhabitants followed religions that were animistic, involving belief in spirits behind the forces of nature and the influence of ancestral spirit beings. According to the 2006 census, 5,206 persons, or less than 0.03% of respondents, reported practicing aboriginal traditional religions, down from 5,244 in 2001. The 2006 census reported that almost 64% of Aborigines identify themselves as Christian and 20% listed no religion.

At the time of European settlement, aboriginal inhabitants followed religions that were animistic, involving belief in spirits behind the forces of nature and the influence of ancestral spirit beings. According to the 2006 census, 5,206 persons, or less than 0.03% of respondents, reported practicing aboriginal traditional religions, down from 5,244 in 2001. The 2006 census reported that almost 64% of Aborigines identify themselves as Christian and 20% listed no religion.