I am proud to be reading into the Western Australian Parliament a petition initiated by Cáit Folan-Sfakianakis calling for the Lord’s Prayer to remain at the commencement of proceedings.

Cáit has done something important that we should encourage in a free society: she has seen an issue that matters to her and other people of faith in WA, organised others around it, and brought that concern directly to Parliament.

Her petition is an expression of civic participation, and I am pleased to give it a voice.

Christian prayer has opened parliamentary sittings in the Westminster tradition since 1558. Here in WA, the Legislative Council carried the practice from Federation itself. The Legislative Assembly followed, adopting the Lord’s Prayer by resolution in 1928, and both chambers have continued that tradition ever since.

This wasn’t accidental. The men and women who built Australia’s democratic institutions understood something that is easy to forget: good government requires moral accountability. The prayer at the opening of Parliament is a daily act of humility, an acknowledgement that those elected to serve are accountable to something greater than electoral politics.

Members of Parliament exercise public power. We will debate laws that affect people’s lives, vote on how billions of dollars of public money are spent, scrutinise government decisions and make choices that have consequences for families, businesses and communities across Western Australia. We will disagree, sometimes strongly, and represent competing interests and philosophies. But before we do any of that, there is value in being reminded of some simple principles about how we should conduct ourselves.

The Lord’s Prayer begins with a word that is easily overlooked: ‘our’. It asks for our daily bread, not simply my daily bread. For parliamentarians, that is a useful reminder that although each of us represents an electorate, we are ultimately entrusted with responsibility for the whole community. We should be concerned not only with those who vote for us or with what is politically convenient, but with the wellbeing and dignity of all Western Australians.

‘Give us this day our daily bread’ is also an extraordinarily practical request. It is about the necessities of ordinary life – food, work, security, and the ability to provide for ourselves and our families. Parliament cannot give people their daily bread, nor should it try to. Our responsibility is to create the conditions in which people have the freedom and opportunity to earn it themselves: to work, build a business, raise a family, own a home, and contribute to their community.

Our responsibility is therefore not simply to pass more laws or spend more money. It is to make good laws, spend public money responsibly and remove unnecessary barriers that prevent people from providing for themselves. Behind every budget line, regulation and piece of legislation are real people trying to get through their everyday lives.

Then there is forgiveness. ‘Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.’ For a Parliament, this is challenging because public life requires accountability. Ministers must be held to account. Governments must be scrutinised. Members should be prepared to admit when they are wrong. Forgiveness cannot mean abandoning responsibility or pretending wrongdoing does not matter.

But accountability and forgiveness are not opposites. A healthy democracy needs the capacity to disagree, acknowledge mistakes, and move forward without turning every political disagreement into permanent personal hostility. In an age of social media outrage, where people can be publicly condemned within minutes and political opponents easily become enemies, the reminder that none of us is perfect is valuable. It applies just as much to parliamentarians as everyone else.

The prayer also asks that we ‘lead us not into temptation’. That is particularly relevant to anyone entrusted with public office. Temptation is part of human nature. For a politician, it can mean putting personal ambition ahead of public service, telling people what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear, protecting our reputation rather than admitting a mistake, or using public power for purposes other than the public good.

Every Member of Parliament faces those choices. We all have incentives to seek popularity, avoid difficult decisions and protect our political interests. The prayer asks us to recognise that weakness rather than assume we are immune to it. That is an important discipline for anyone given authority over other people’s lives.

And then there is the simple plea: ‘deliver us from evil’. Whatever a person’s religious beliefs, evil has not disappeared from the world. Cruelty, violence, exploitation, corruption, dishonesty, and abuse remain real. So too do smaller forms of wrongdoing that can become normalised when people stop challenging them.

For parliamentarians, that creates both an individual and collective responsibility. Individually, we must ask whether our conduct is honest and worthy of the trust placed in us. Collectively, Parliament has a responsibility to confront wrongdoing, protect people from abuse and corruption, and ensure government power is exercised properly. Laws are important, but ultimately, they are only as good as the people who operate them.

That is why there is particular value in saying the Lord’s Prayer at the beginning of the parliamentary day. It gives Members a moment, before the arguments begin, to reflect on the responsibilities that come with public office. It reminds us that we are imperfect people exercising considerable power over the lives of others. It asks us to think beyond ourselves, remember the ordinary needs of our fellow citizens, acknowledge our weaknesses, be prepared to forgive and resist the temptations that accompany power.

Importantly, nobody is compelled to pray. A Member who does not share the Christian faith is free to remain silent and reflect in their own way. That is entirely consistent with a free and tolerant society. Respect for religious freedom means people are free to believe, or not believe, according to their conscience.

I do not see the Lord’s Prayer as a test of someone’s religious commitment, nor does its value depend upon everyone in the chamber sharing the same beliefs. Its value lies in the questions it asks every person entrusted with public authority: Are we thinking about the needs of others? Are we acting with humility? Are we prepared to acknowledge our mistakes? Can we disagree without hatred? Will we resist the temptations that come with power? And are we using the authority entrusted to us for the right reasons?

Those are questions for parliamentarians.

That is why I am proud to read Cáit Folan-Sfakianakis’ petition into Parliament. She has reminded us that this is not simply a question about what happens at the beginning of a sitting day. It is about what we want to remind ourselves of before we begin the serious business of governing.

It asks us to remember our daily bread, not simply our own interests; to forgive as well as hold others accountable; to recognise our susceptibility to temptation; and to resist evil in both our personal conduct and our public responsibilities.

For a Parliament entrusted with the power to make laws and spend the people’s money, those are messages worth hearing at the beginning of every day.

Jonathan Huston MLA, Member for Nedlands

Jonathan Huston (63) a practicing Roman Catholic, attended Aquinas College Perth, WA, where he was 1979 College Captain. After 20 years in the Australian Army, he returned to WA, as the founding Executive Director of the Aquinas College Foundation and led the revival of Aquinas and the 25-year rebuilding programme.

He was then active in the WA Business Community as owner of Tintacar, Croissant Express and Parkside Towbars. Jonathan served on many charitable boards notably Red Cross WA and Livelink WA.

In 2025 Jonathan was elected as the Member for Nedlands. Jonathan is committed to ensuring the flourishing of western civilisation and liberal enlightenment, as the key driver for individual and collective progress.