We're losing our religion, Census shows
By Mark Schliebs
June 27, 2007

Census figures show strong rise in 'no religion'
Anglicans declining, Hindus, Buddhists growing
Wages rising as support for religion wanes

NEARLY one in five Australians are without religion, with the Anglican Church the hardest hit by decreasing numbers of followers, the 2006 Census has revealed.

But the average Australian can afford more material possessions, with the median weekly income rising 24 per cent in five years.

The figures, released today, revealed that 3,706,557 Australians - or 19 per cent - said they had no religion on Census night last year, which was 3 per cent more than the 2001 figure of 2,905,993. And the number of people who said they were Anglican also decreased by nearly 175,000 since 2005 to 3,718,248.

Christianity is still the dominant religion, with 12.7 million followers nationwide. But as a proportion of the population, Christianity dipped from 71 per cent to 64 per cent.the rest