The 10,912 Victorians who signed a petition to retain the recital of the Lord’s Prayer in our state Parliament each sitting day should feel well pleased: Victoria’s Labor government has acknowledged the overwhelming community sentiment against their intention to scrap the practice, and comprehensively back-flipped.

I am possibly one of the least religious members in the Parliament, but I will defend to the hilt the retention of the Lord’s Prayer, of freedom of religion along with the other important freedoms of speech and association.