| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | POPEDOM | |
| Catholic leader’s office procedure Father knocked back (7) | (MODE + POP) reversed | |
| 5 | DEBATES | |
| Top performer turned around club’s formal discussions (7) | SEED reversed outside BAT | |
| 9 | ISLAM | |
| Religion is liturgy, primarily, and a mass (5) | IS + (L)iturgy + A + M | |
| 10 | TIMESHARE | |
| Drain containing mesh adjoining a jointly owned property (9) | TIRE outside (MESH + A) | |
| 11 | SURVIVOR | |
| Virus affected three characters in the middle of “Divorce”, a reality TV show (8) | Anagram of VIRUS + di(VOR)ce | |
| 12 | EASE UP | |
| Slow down vehicle finally, and pause for a change (4,2) | vehicl(E) + anagram of PAUSE | |
| 14 | TECHNICALITIES | |
| At clinic he varied restrictions and literal rule interpretations (14) | Anagram of AT CLINIC HE + TIES | |
| 17 | CARDINAL NUMBER | |
| Eccentric Melburnian maligned a valued figure (8,6) | CARD + anagram of MELBURNIAN | |
| 21 | ERASED | |
| Letters collected by worker as editor should be removed (6) | workER AS EDitor | |
| 23 | INITIATE | |
| Enjoying success, I had a meal with new member (8) | IN IT + I + ATE | |
| 25 | TOP BANANA | |
| Important person to lead a family member back to Australia (3,6) | TO + PB + A + NAN + australi(A) | |
| 26 | ELITE | |
| Selected “E” letter in Scrabble put down the wrong way (5) | (E + TILE reversed) | |
| 27 | DELUDES | |
| People generally adopting the Spanish kids (7) | DUDES outside EL | |
| 28 | LESSEES | |
| Tenants, without notice, returned (7) | LESS + (SEE reversed) | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | PRIEST | |
| Minister asks a lot of questions before closing of parliament (6) | PRIES + parliamen(T) | |
| 2 | POLAR BEAR | |
| Soft sort of arboreal animal used to a cold climate (5,4) | P + anagram of ARBOREAL | |
| 3 | DAMPISH | |
| A little wet politician, one dressed in style (7) | (MP + I) inside DASH | |
| 4 | METHODICAL | |
| Drug overdose, one caught by a large orderly (10) | METH + OD + I + C + A + L | |
| 5 | DAMN | |
| Criticise nuts sent up north (4) | MAD reversed + N | |
| 6 | BASMATI | |
| Rice left out of lamb as it stewed (7) | Anagram of (l)AMB AS IT | |
| 7 | TEASE | |
| Time spent with moderate guy (5) | T + EASE | |
| 8 | STEEPISH | |
| Soak is hot and quite high (8) | STEEP + IS + H | |
| 13 | CANNONBALL | |
| Fired one can not shortly head to nearby dance party (10) | CAN + NO(t) + (N)earby + BALL | |
| 15 | ITERATIVE | |
| Repetitious item not completed by four in class (9) | ITE(m) + (IV inside RATE) | |
| 16 | ACCEPTED | |
| Regular performed outside clubs with record (8) | ACTED outside (C + EP) | |
| 18 | ICELAND | |
| I caught African antelope where it’s very cold (7) | I + C + ELAND | |
| 19 | MATTERS | |
| Temperature recorded in polluted stream makes a difference (7) | T inside anagram of STREAM | |
| 20 | BEGETS | |
| Fathers, for example, featuring in plays for money (6) | EG inside BETS | |
| 22 | APPAL | |
| A friend experiencing internal pressure and shock (5) | P inside (A + PAL) | |
| 24 | CANS | |
| Light meal mostly served up in tins (4) | (SNAC)k reversed |
