The diocese incorporates the southern part of the state of Western Australia and includes the Christmas and Cocos Islands.

The diocese incorporates the southern part of the state of Western Australia and includes the Christmas and Cocos Islands.

[1] The diocese has traditionally had a variety of churchmanship and in recent years has largely moved toward a more liberal and moderate Catholic style.

[5] In the early 2000s the diocese had a large group of Anglo-Catholics from the parish of St Patricks Mt Lawley under the leadership of the then parish priest and high-ranking member of the diocesan clergy, Harry Entwistle, leave to join with another community of the Traditional Anglican Communion which later entered into the Catholic Church as a community of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross,[6] St Ninians and St Chads based in Mt Lawley.

In 2013 the synod voted to recognise diversity of sexuality within the diocese, note many Anglicans support registration of same-sex civil unions, and acknowledge legal recognition of committed same-sex unions could co-exist with legal recognition of heterosexual marriage.

"[7] In a statement on human sexuality, Archbishop Herft confirmed that "there are gay and lesbian clergy serving in the priesthood.