Thanks for a most informative article.

When Australia was a Christian country it may have been appropriate that the denominations were funded by the state.(Although I have some doubts about that.)
But as we are becoming progressively a secular democracy which has a multi-cultural make-up we cannot keep on funding Christian denominations ONLY.Tax payers now belong to diverse faiths and they have every right to object if their demands for state funding are turned down.
The times they are a-changing...forever!

socratease

Given the fact that I am not an Australian, I am not privy to all the details of this issue in your country.
Does the Australian government also give financial support to non-Christian religious organizations . . . Muslim and Hindu, for example?
Does not giving taxpayer financial support to ANY allegedly non-profit religious organization create a sense of entitlement, and encourage complacency over its own private fund-raising efforts?
What do you think of simply prohibiting ANY public funding of religious organizations, as well as prohibiting any non-profit tax- exempt status for the COMMERCIAL enterprises and properties that are owned and run by religious organizations? Why not give tax-exempt status ONLY to the HOUSES of WORSHIP themselves, THEIR direct fund-raising efforts, and to their religious schools?
Forgive me if I sound as if I am "butting in" to Australian concerns. It was just a thought. What is the general opinion in Australia about these ideas?

"Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's" says the Bible.

Right. So render up prayers and such offerings as the Church needs to survive and pay your taxes to Caesar( governments)...so too should the Church and all who run the churches...or temples, synagogues and mosques whatever...to whom the saying applies equally.
The businesses and land and properties should all be assessed by auditors and taxed accordingly.

socratease