by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
SYDNEY/AMSTERDAM (Worthy News) – The government of Australia’s New South Wales state has confirmed that some prayers are now unlawful under a new ban on LGBTQ+ “conversion practices,” prompting protests from Christian leaders.
Attorney General Michael Daley told the NSW State Parliament last week that praying with or over someone in an attempt to change or suppress their sexual orientation or gender identity is banned under the Conversion Practices Ban Act 2024, which was passed in March 2024 and took effect in April 2025.
“Praying with or over a particular person in an attempt to try to change or suppress that person’s sexuality or gender is unlawful… If it’s an unlawful prayer, then it’s not a lawful prayer,” Daley told legislators, according to published transcripts.
Violations carry penalties of up to seven years in prison if serious harm is caused, along with fines of up to 22,000 Australian dollars (about $14,400). Lesser offenses can result in five years in prison or AU$11,000 ($7,200) in fines.
Lyle Shelton, national director of Australia’s Family First Party, initially linked to Pentecostal Christian movements and a candidate for the NSW Upper House, called the law “an extraordinary overreach.”
PRAYERS ‘ILLEGAL’
“Some prayers are now illegal in NSW,” Shelton said, warning that parents, pastors, or friends could face sanctions for praying with someone who requests spiritual support.
He pledged his party would introduce legislation to restore “the freedom to pray for anyone who seeks it,” especially those struggling with “unwanted same-sex attraction or gender confusion.”
Family First argues the law allows authorities to decide which prayers are permissible, while supporters say it protects vulnerable people from harmful coercion.
The debate reflects broader tensions abroad. Lawmakers in the Netherlands are preparing to vote on a revised bill limiting so-called conversion therapy to “systematic and intrusive” practices after an earlier draft failed. Critics there also fear restrictions on prayer.
The Netherlands was the first country to legalize same-sex marriage, with the first ceremonies held in Amsterdam in April 2001.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
A former underground Chinese house church pastor who now leads a U.S.-based advocacy group has urged U.S. President Donald J. Trump to raise the issue of reportedly persecuted Christians during his talks Thursday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, following a fresh crackdown on independent churches in the Communist-led nation.
The fiercely anti-Islam but pro-Israel Party for Freedom (PVV) led by seasoned politician Geert Wilders was only slightly behind the left-leaning centrist Democrats 66 (D66) party with nearly all votes counted Thursday in the Dutch general election.
France has introduced a modernized version of its submarine-launched strategic nuclear missile, marking what officials described as a “major milestone” in the nation’s long-term deterrence strategy amid a renewed global nuclear arms race.
Newly released satellite imagery shows Iran has made little effort to restore its bombed nuclear enrichment facilities nearly four months after coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes — instead redirecting resources toward a hidden site north of Isfahan, even as Beijing helps Tehran replenish its ballistic missile stockpile in defiance of United Nations sanctions.
The United States carried out another lethal military strike on an alleged drug-trafficking vessel in the Eastern Pacific on Wednesday, killing four suspected narco-terrorists, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping met face-to-face Thursday for the first time in six years, announcing a breakthrough in trade relations that includes tariff reductions, resumed agricultural purchases, and new commitments to curb fentanyl exports to the United States.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Tuesday that its troops carried out an overnight operation in the southern Lebanon town of Blida, targeting what it described as Hezbollah terror infrastructure.