wards the variation between the denominations is primarily explained by the link between religion and ethnicity. The increase in Catholicism is related to the arrival of migrants from countries such as Greece and Italy. Catholics also have a higher birthrate than Protestants (ABS 2004c).
Church attendance has also declined. According to the 2001 Australian Electoral Survey, over the-fifths of the population as a whole never attend church, while only 14.2 percent attend at least once a week (Bean, Gow & McAllister 2001 ) Participation in formal Christian religious ceremonies is also in decline. Instead of Church weddings, Christian burials and baptism many people turn to civil celebrants to mark major lifecycle transitions (ABS2003H). Ken dempsey’s studies of Protestant churches in two small towns in rural New South Wales and Victoria document these declining levels of participation and the weakening influence of the church (1983;1989;1990;1991).