a world without religion , page-12

Australia has had many openly atheist or agnostic political figures elected to high positions, including prime ministers Gough Whitlam (whose philosophical position has been called "post-Christian"), John Curtin, John Gorton, Bob Hawke, and Australia's current Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Governor-general Bill Hayden was voted as the Australian Humanist of the Year by the Council of Australian Humanist Societies.

Robert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL (born 9 December 1929) was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia and longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister.

While attending the 1952 World Christian Youth Conference, held in Kottayam in southern India, Hawke was struck by "this enormous sense of irrelevance of religion to the needs of the people" and abandoned his Christian beliefs.By the time he entered politics he was a self-described agnostic.

After the 1987 federal election Hawke offered Bill Hayden the post of Governor-General to give him a dignified exit from politics and some consolation for having denied him the chance to become Prime Minister. The Governor-General is normally the Chief Scout of Australia. Bill Hayden declined the office on the grounds of his atheism, which was incompatible with the Scout Oath.

Gough Whitlam was an atheist Prime Minister. In his time in office, Whitlam and his government implemented a large number of new programs and policy changes, including the elimination of conscription, institution of universal health care, and implementation of legal aid programs. Barred racially-discriminatory sport teams from Australia, and instructed the Australian delegation at the United Nations to vote in favour of sanctions on apartheid South Africa and Rhodesia...ordered home all remaining Australian troops in Vietnam. Whitlam gave the Gurindji people of the Northern Territory title deeds to part of their traditional lands, beginning the process of Aboriginal land reform.