Darwin City Council has been accused of discriminating against a Christian group after rejecting its application to take part in the city’s Christmas pageant on November 14.
The Australian Christian Lobby said the decision amounted to “taking the Christ out of Christmas”, while the council said it was responding to complaints about the group’s conduct at the 2025 event rather than its religious beliefs.
March for Jesus organisers had sought to join the procession, but council chief executive Simone Saunders said the group’s chanting and behaviour had been described as “overbearing, intimidating and confronting”.
She told Darwin radio station Mix 104.9 that complaints included an allegation that merchandise was offered to a child, refused and then thrown at them. The behaviour, she said, was not consistent with an inclusive family event.
Of the 30 floats at the 2025 pageant, council staff received complaints only about the March for Jesus entry, Ms Saunders said. She added that council officers were still working with the group to determine whether it could meet the event’s terms and conditions.
“A Christmas pageant is about spectators coming to watch the procession and the floats. We just want to ensure we’ve got a family fun event,” she said.
Nicholas Lay, the Australian Christian Lobby’s Northern Territory director, called the council’s decision “bizarre”. He said the reasons cited were the “nature and volume of chanting” and the distribution of promotional merchandise.
“This is a shameful example of Darwin Council discriminating against a Christian group and seeking to take the Christ out of Christmas,” he said.
Mr Lay said the group had been sharing the Christian message and handing out copies of the Gospel of John, rather than promotional merchandise. March for Jesus member Scott Belshaw said no material had been distributed to promote individual churches.
“It was simply us handing out literature on the bible,” he said. “I believe no one should stop us from having the right to march at a Christmas pageant, celebrating Christmas.”
Ms Saunders said other Christian and faith groups were also taking part in the event, which meant the dispute was “not about religion” but about maintaining a safe and enjoyable pageant for families.
