Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preliminary Material -- Introduction -- Freedom of Religion or Belief in International Human Rights Law and the Provenance of the Right to Establish and Maintain Places of Worship -- The Right to Establish and Maintain Places of Worship Unpacking the Substance of a Human Right -- International Standards on Religious Freedom: An Analysis of Their Existence and Applicability in Australia -- ‘Amen versus Amenity’: The Protection of the Physical Amenity of an Area and Its Impact on the Right to Establish and Maintain Places of Worship -- ‘Beauty is in the Eye of the Worshipper’: The Preservation of the Visual Amenity of an Area and Its Impact on the Right to Establish and Maintain Places of Worship -- ‘The Devil is in the Details’: Specific Design Controls on Places of Worship and State Encroachment on Religious Expression and Exercise -- A Balancing Exercise under International Human Rights Law: The Right to Establish and Maintain Places of Worship vis-à-vis Legitimate Planning Objectives -- Conclusion: The End of the Journey -- Bibliography -- Index.

Available to subscribing member institutions only.

In Treading on Sacred Grounds: Places of Worship, Local Planning and Religious Freedom in Australia , Noel Villaroman analyses the engagement of religious groups with local councils in Australia in their applications to build places of worship. Such applications often encounter opposition from local residents who are reluctant to share their neighbourhood or street with the newly arrived and less known ‘other.’ The local councils, being the planning authority that grants or refuses such applications, are caught in the middle of these disputes. Using the lens of international human rights law, the book probes the local councils’ actions and their repercussions to religious freedom. The book has concrete legal and social implications that it is bound to impact not only legal scholarship but also, crucially, policy makers.