Australia Supports Parliament of the World's Religions

The Australian Government has provided A$2 million to support one of the world’s largest interfaith forums, the Parliament of the World’s Religions, which is being held in Melbourne, Australia from 3 to 9 December 2009.

The Parliament of the World’s Religions is a key interfaith forum created to facilitate discussions amongst the world’s religious and spiritual communities on peace, diversity and sustainability.

“The Australian Government is committed to encouraging mutual respect, understanding and tolerance among different religions and cultures in Australia and across the region,” Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Bill Farmer, said.

“The fact that this year’s Parliament of the World’s Religions is held in Melbourne, Australia, reflects our commitment,” he said.

Australia has also fostered interfaith cooperation in the region through its involvement in the Regional Interfaith Dialogue—a process which Australia co-sponsors with Indonesia and other countries in the region. Australia recently hosted the fifth Regional Interfaith Dialogue in Perth, Australia.

“Australia and Indonesia share a common interest - we believe that bringing together leaders from the many faiths to share experiences and identify ways to promote peace and understanding is a step forward to better inter-religious understanding and cooperation,” said Ambassador Farmer.

In the latest census data, almost 14 million Australians identified as belonging to a religion, with more than 340,000 Muslims of whom 128,904 were born in Australia.

The Parliament of the World’s Religions is expected to attract more than 5000 people and will feature more than 650 events, including keynote addresses, seminars, conferences, debates, performances, concerts and exhibitions.

Further information is available at www.parliamentofreligions.org/

Media Enquiries:
Jenny Dee, Counsellor (Public Affairs) tel. (021) 2553 5290 mob. 0811 187 3175