Attorney-General Michaelia Cash has assured a Christian lobby group the federal government supports religious schools and organisations maintaining exemptions under the Sex Discrimination Act.
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It's set to be changed to prevent the expulsion of students on the basis of their sexuality or gender identity.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has agreed to the change to mollify moderate Liberals concerned about a separate bill to give religious Australians exemptions from discrimination laws.
Senator Cash spruiked the religious discrimination bill to Christian lobby group Family Voice on Wednesday, telling a webinar no one she'd spoken to supported expelling gay students.
Section 38 of the Sex Discrimination Act means religious schools can discriminate based on sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, marital or relationship status "to avoid injury to the religious susceptibilities of adherents of that religion or creed".
"The (religious discrimination) bill itself does not affect the ability of religious educational institutions established for religious purposes to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity," Senator Cash said.
"Why? Because those exemptions already exist in the Sex Discrimination Act. Those exemptions are longstanding exemptions, supported, importantly, by both major sides of politics.
"There has always been an understanding across politics that the ability of educational institutions established for religious purposes to actually operate in accordance with those purposes is just a fundamental part of being what they are."
Slated changes to the Sex Discrimination Act being examined by the Australian Law Reform Commission have attracted a backlash from faith groups that argue it will impinge on schools being able to teach along the lines of their beliefs.
Family Voice West Australian state director Darryl Budge asked Senator Cash to rule out the federal government supporting changes to section 38.
He said it would mean religious schools could not provide "any guidance or counselling" to or an "alternative platform" for same-sex attracted or gender diverse students.
Senator Cash reiterated the prime minister made it clear gay students should not be expelled and "we all agree on that".
She painted Labor as the group pursuing the issue of the Sex Discrimination Act and urged Family Voice to put forward its case when it fronted a parliamentary inquiry into the religious discrimination bill next Tuesday.
Australian Associated Press
