Advocacy
A Buddhist Voice
We advocate for our member organisations on issues that affect Buddhist communities, such as working with local governments on zoning regulations for temples, and with federal governments on visa regulations for monastics. We also advocate at state and federal levels on important social issues that affect the whole community, such as discrimination, constitutional change, and the climate crisis.
The Buddhist Council of NSW provides a Buddhist voice through membership of multifaith organisations, such as the government’s Faith Affairs Council, the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change, the Faith Ecology Network, and Faiths NSW.
Our Advocacy Record
Religious Freedom and Discrimination
- Lodging a formal complaint on behalf of a municipal councillor who was prevented from reciting a Buddhist prayer at a council session and had her faith publicly denigrated.
- Partnering with the Hindu and Jewish communities to provide feedback on 2022 legislation banning the use of Nazi symbols, to ensure that use of the swastika—sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus—was protected.
- Collaborating with Buddhist Council member organisation Rainbodhi LGBTQIA+ Buddhist Community to write a submission about proposed religious freedom legislation that would give faith groups the right to negatively discriminate against LGBTQIA and other members in our community. Read the submission here.
Climate Crisis
- Representing NSW Buddhists in interfaith delegations to meet federal parliamentarians in Canberra to discuss the importance of acting on climate change.
- Collaborating with the multifaith network, Australian Religious Response to Climate Change, to create Buddhist Climate Action Kits, and organise community protest events against funders of fossil fuels.
Social Issues
- Making representations to the Department of Home Affairs, in collaboration with the Australian Sangha Association and Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils, to highlight the difficulties of obtaining visas for Buddhist monastics.
- Working with the NSW Religious Communities Advisory Council and its successor the NSW Faith Affairs Council to advise the NSW government on issues concerning faith groups, such as Special Religious Education.
- Disseminating information on the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum to the multicultural Buddhist community by producing written and video resources in several languages and organising workshops to connect member organisations with Aboriginal leaders.
Watch a video featuring Aboriginal leader, Professor Jack Beetson, and Nith Chittasy, member of the Lao Buddhist community, discussing a Buddhist approach to the the Voice referendum below.