Atheist Foundation of Australia

To encourage and to provide a means of expression for informed free-thought on philosophical and social issues.
To advocate for and safeguard the rights of all non-religious people.
To serve as a focal point for the community of non-religious people.
To offer verifiable information in place of superstition and to promote logic and reason.
To promote atheism.

2026 Census No Religion campaign

Your census - Your truth.

Australia’s census doesn’t reflect what we actually believe.

Millions of Australians still mark a religion they were raised in — not one they live by. The result is a national portrait that’s out of date.

And it matters. Census data shapes how billions in public funding are allocated, how much influence religion holds in policy, and whose values get amplified in public life.

The next Australian Census is on Tuesday 11 August 2026. When you reach the religion question, pause. Don’t answer for the person you were raised to be. Answer for who you actually are today.

If faith is no longer part of your life, mark ‘No religion’.

Atheism is not a religion, mark 'No Religion' in the census.

Visit the Campaign Web Site

A joint letter from pro-secular organisations

A joint letter from pro-secular organisations Friday 5 July 2024 Dear Member of Parliament, Our organisations represent the worldviews of pro-secular and non-religious people across Victoria. We are writing to urge you to support modernising the parliamentary...

Submission to the Productivity Commission’s Draft Report on Philanthropy

Atheist Foundation of Australia Incorporated (AFA) Submission to the Productivity Commission’s Draft Report on Philanthropy February 2024 The Atheist Foundation of Australia Incorporated (AFA) was established in 1970 and has members in every State and Territory...

Atheists disturbed over religious discrimination by NSW Government

The NSW government has rejected the nomination of Sydney Atheists President, Steve Marton, to sit on its newly devised Faith Affairs Council. According to the most recent Census, one third of the NSW population is non-religious. But the views of this large...

What do “human rights” mean to you?

The Human Rights Commission has released a video marking 10th December as the 75th anniversary of the Declaration for Human Rights. The video features several people stating what human rights mean to them, including Steve Marton who currently serves on the Atheist...

Atheist applies for seat on new NSW Religious Affairs Council

President of Sydney Atheists and Committee Member of The Atheist Foundation of Australia, Steve Marton, has applied for nomination to the NSW Government’s inaugural Faith Affairs Council. The Minns Government has called for a 16-member council to be set up to provide...

Secularism Australia Conference

With guest speakers already sharing their excitement surrounding the Secularism Australia Conference, we would like to offer you the opportunity to purchase tickets at the discounted early-bird rate, which will conclude on Saturday 7 October. The early-bird rate of...

See what we’ve been up to

The Atheist Foundation of Australia Committee would like to thank for your support. We also like to update you of two of our important and successful achievements in the last two years. In 2021, we took a leading role in association with six other free-thought...

Atheism is not a religion, mark “no religion”

As you know, the Australian Government is conducting a census of the population on the 10th August 2021. The census is an important snapshot of the country and informs government and businesses in their decision making. Census data is used to plan and deliver services...

Census21 No Religion Campaign Rejects Fake News and Fearmongering

The Census No Religion campaign is aware of a particularly hateful and misleading message circulating on social media, by email and SMS text message. The message suggests that non-religious people should incorrectly record that they are religious or face the...

Census No Religion Campaign

On the 10th of August, a census is being conducted to collect important data on the circumstances and attitudes of the Australian people. Your friends and family will be asked if they hold religious beliefs, and it’s an important chance for them to think carefully...

Religious Discrimination Bill is resurrected

In a recent webinar with Family Voice Australia, Kevin Andrews (Liberal Party Back Bencher) indicated that "compromise had been reached" regarding the proposed Religious Discrimination Bill, and that it would be introduced into the Parliament "shortly". Mr. Andrews...

Religious Freedom Bill Submission

Religious Discrimination Bill – Second Exposure Draft Date: 19 January 2020 Submission type: Non-Profit – Atheist Foundation Of Australia and Sydney Atheists Email: [email protected] Confidentiality: For Public Release The Atheist Foundation of...

Submission to the Australian Bureau of Statistics – Review of 2021 Census Topics

The question on religion in the Australian Census contains an element which is problematical in obtaining accurate figures. The problem is that it asks “What is the person’s religion?” This is a leading question and can elicit a religion of baptism when the person may...

“We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further.”

Richard Dawkins

A man’s ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.

Albert Einstein

Religion is a by-product of fear. For much of human history, it may have been a necessary evil, but why was it more evil than necessary? Isn’t killing people in the name of God a pretty good definition of insanity?

Arthur C. Clarke

I don’t believe in God because I don’t believe in Mother Goose.

Clarence Darrow

I condemn false prophets, I condemn the effort to take away the power of rational decision, to drain people of their free will – and a hell of a lot of money in the bargain. Religions vary in their degree of idiocy, but I reject them all. For most people, religion is nothing more than a substitute for a malfunctioning brain.

Gene Roddenberry

No Gods – No Masters.

Margaret Sanger

I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish Church, by the Roman Church, by the Greek Church, by the Turkish (Muslim) Church, by the Protestant Church, nor by any Church that I know of. My own mind is my own Church.

Thomas Paine

I cannot be angry at God, in whom I do not believe.

Simone de Beauvoir

That the world is in a bad shape is undeniable, but there is not the faintest reason in history to suppose that Christianity offers a way out.

Bertrand Russell

Religion is not merely the opium of the masses, it’s the cyanide.

Tom Robbins

Atheist Foundation of Australia

2026 Census No Religion campaign

Your census - Your truth.

Australia’s census doesn’t reflect what we actually believe.

Campaigns