March 2, 1898 - Preamble to Australian Constitution Amended

Patrick McMahon Glynn, lawyer, federationist, and politician, 1899. Public domain. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

The Australian Constitution begins with a striking theological acknowledgment: “humbly relying on the blessing of Almighty God.” That phrase was not part of the earliest drafts. It was added on March 2, 1898, after Patrick “Paddy” Glynn proposed an amendment during the constitutional conventions.

The late nineteenth century was an era in which many Western nations still assumed that public life and Christian belief were intertwined. Glynn argued that the new Commonwealth of Australia should formally recognize divine providence in its founding document. His proposal was not universally welcomed. Some delegates mocked the inclusion of explicitly religious language, reflecting early stirrings of a more secular political philosophy.

Despite opposition, the amendment passed. The phrase remains embedded in the preamble today, reflecting the theological assumptions present at the nation’s formation. The full preamble acknowledges the colonies’ union under the British Crown and explicitly invokes reliance upon God’s blessing in establishing the Federal Commonwealth.

This episode reminds us that constitutional frameworks often reflect deeper cultural convictions. The inclusion of religious language in Australia’s founding document demonstrates that Christian belief still shaped public rhetoric and political identity at the turn of the twentieth century. Whether embraced or contested, the relationship between faith and public life was never peripheral to national formation.