Gerard Tucker Oration

The Gerard Tucker Oration is held each year at Christ Church in South Yarra. It celebrates BSL and the legacy of our founder, who was born in this vicarage in 1885.

Delivering the 2023 Gerard Tucker Oration, Reverend Dr. Michelle Trebilcock, BSL Chaplain said:

“The status of institutional religion today is further complicated by the rise of the religious right as evidenced by difficult federal debates on Religious Freedom legislation, and the 2017 referendum on the definition of Marriage. It is a mistake to under-estimate the ongoing influence of conservative Christianity in public life, in which the moral voice is oft narrowed to discriminatory beliefs about sex, gender and personal freedom.

To the extent that the BSL retains a religious voice, it must urgently consider how it partners with strong social justice movements for equality and dignity, which are predominantly non-religious in the contemporary Australian cultural and political landscape.”

The most recent Oration, Faith and Justice in a Secular Age was delivered on Wednesday 24 May 2023.

Read the 2023 Oration  or watch the video below.