ABSTRACT
Religion remains a complex, multifaceted phenomenon that is simultaneously present in overt and elusive forms, where its interpretation is dependent on its representation, construction and agency. It is fair to say that it remains a debatable term and subject. Although dominant perceptions of religion have emerged significantly in Australian media discourses, alternative interpretations of it that are less visible have emerged to challenge these dominant definitions. Australian national identity has remained fraught in the face of the persistence of incomplete reconciliatory efforts with its Aboriginal people since colonial invasion; the establishment and continuity of a system of governance and society continues to flourish in the glaring absence of Aboriginal participation. The framework was derived from a Western context with a strong Christian heritage. While the cultural proximity Australia has with Britain made the framework a helpful starting point, the framework is ethnocentric and views the spectrum of religion from a limited Western perspective.
