It is an issue that need to be addressed.
I am not a greens supporter, but agree with this issue.
Funny that, I am a Liberal voter but do not always agree with their policies.
The issue is simple.
The challenge to you is also just as simple.
If you can name one prayer that has ever been answered by divine intervention then I will agree with you.
Until then it is a waste of taxpayers time and money.

Dear shadowminister,

You ask;

“Is this the greens' way of differentiating themselves from the main parties and real issues? Is this the party for whom reality is too hard?”

Actually I think it is more a bit of parliamentary pushing and shoving in response to Kevin Donnelly touting the line that our schools are too secular.

For me I don't think we should be looking to get rid of the Lord's prayer in our parliament I do like Mark Drefuss' idea of adopting the US congress style of having representatives from all the faiths take it in turns to offer opening prayers/guidance to our MPs whether they be priest, imam, rabbi, even atheistic humanists.

If we are serious about the representative nature of our democracy then this should be a given.

SteeleRedux
That suggestion sounds like a good idea.

The Greens exist because in a democracy people have voted for them and continue to do so.

I am not a member of any party but I like the Greens because they are not easily bought even if I don't agree with their actions all the time. They are as much biased as everyone else, but that is the nature of politics and ideology. People come to different points of views for various reasons.

The Pirate Party have some good policies too.

I have several family members who are now or were at one point in a country branch of the Greens, one has run as a senate candidate a number of times, from what I know of the movement it's mainly geared toward middle class, baby boomer types who jealously protect their seniority and position within the organisation.
The most glaring thing about the Greens is there are almost no young men involved in the movement especially as we know the vital ingredient for success of any political group is activism from intelligent young men.
I can't blame them, why would men want to join what amounts to a senior citizens club run by 60 year old spinsters and feminists?
When you have dashing young men in your party the young female recruits will follow and the older people can take a back seat and let the party evolve with the new generation.
This isn't happening with the Greens, they have nothing to offer the young people and the movement will be dead within 20 years if they don't clear out the dead wood.

A friend of mine had the following published in The Age today.

"The proposal to drop the Lord's Prayer from Parliament is essential if we are to have a government that truly represents our secular democracy (''Move to scrap prayer'', 15/1). This explicitly Christian prayer excludes and alienates the not insignificant minority of 38.9 per cent of people in Australia who don't identify as Christians. It implies a higher authority to which our elected representatives are ultimately responsible, instead of the only authority that they in fact should be responsible to, the people of Australia they were elected to represent.

Prayers in Parliament are inconsistent with the spirit and probably the letter of section 116 of the constitution, which prohibits ''imposing any religious observance''. Its use is potentially offensive to those of other faiths, and those of no faith.

The Lord's Prayer should be replaced by an oath of loyalty to the Australian people and a statement of principle pledging to perform their duties with an open mind, and an informed ethical viewpoint that has the long-term wellbeing of all the people in this country at heart."

The writer has the arguments exactly right.

Pelican,
If the Greens were to become authentic coalition partners in the future they would have no choice but to sell out and become just like the others, that's the way Liberal democracy works all over the world.
Watch Europe very closely this year and you'll see what I mean, Liberal democracy can absorb and dilute any political tendency no matter how radical. Marine Le Pen and her FN may well be the next French leaders, Golden Dawn has overtaken Syriza in Greece, Jobbik in Hungary are looking like a real chance to win in coming years as are the UKIP and there are dozens of reactionary and neo Fascist micro parties on the move. What will happen though is that they are going to have to dilute their policies and lose their rhetoric simply in order to govern and especially to maintain the co-operation of the judiciary.