The New South Wales Board of Studies' Years 11/12 course, Studies of Religion was introduced for implementation in 1992. Studies of Religion's educational outcomes express a particular understanding of religious belief and practice and their role in 'multicultural', ' multifaith' Australia. The achievement of these outcomes is presented as being predicated on students' appreciation of the commonality amongst religions in Australia, and as fostering the harmony that is the product of this appreciation. In this pivotal regard, Studies of Religion is a vehicle for governmental social policy. This thesis investigates Studies of Religion as a political text, testing the hypothesis that, as such, it privileges certain theoretical voices and renders others silent, particularly in its key definitions of 'culture', 'multiculturalism', 'religion' and ' religion education'. Moreover, the research examines the proposition that, as committee document and, therefore, the product of political compromise, Studies of Religion contains internal tensions between contesting voices and interests, limiting the policy's potential to realise its stated social objectives. As a contribution to the projected review process for Studies of Religion, recommendations are offered regarding theoretical conditions and structural adjustments necessary for overcoming these tensions and enabling students to achieve the policy's goals of increased compassion and justice.