<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Undefined or not stated </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 9.6% </Td> </Tr> <P> Australia has no state religion; Section 116 of the Australian Constitution prohibits the federal government from making any law to establish any religion, impose any religious observance, or prohibit the free exercise of any religion . In the 2016 census, 52.1% of Australians were counted as Christian, including 22.6% as Roman Catholic and 13.3% as Anglican; 30.1% of the population reported having "no religion"; 7.3% identify with non-Christian religions, the largest of these being Islam (2.6%), followed by Buddhism (2.5%), Hinduism (1.9%) and Judaism (0.4%). The remaining 9.6% of the population did not provide an adequate answer . Those who reported having no religion increased conspicuously from 19% in 2006 to 30% in 2016 . The largest change was between 2011 (22%) and 2016 (30.1%), when a further 2.2 million people reported having no religion . </P> <P> Before European settlement, the animist beliefs of Australia's indigenous people had been practised for many thousands of years . Mainland Aboriginal Australians' spirituality is known as the Dreamtime and it places a heavy emphasis on belonging to the land . The collection of stories that it contains shaped Aboriginal law and customs . Aboriginal art, story and dance continue to draw on these spiritual traditions . The spirituality and customs of Torres Strait Islanders, who inhabit the islands between Australia and New Guinea, reflected their Melanesian origins and dependence on the sea . The 1996 Australian census counted more than 7000 respondents as followers of a traditional Aboriginal religion . </P> <P> Since the arrival of the First Fleet of British ships in 1788, Christianity has grown to be the major religion practised in Australia . Christian churches have played an integral role in the development of education, health and welfare services in Australia . For much of Australian history, the Church of England (now known as the Anglican Church of Australia) was the largest religious denomination . However, multicultural immigration has contributed to a decline in its relative position, and the Roman Catholic Church has benefitted from recent immigration to become the largest group . Similarly, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism have all grown in Australia over the past half - century . </P>

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