Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

The Religious Discrimination Bill would only prohibit discrimination on the basis of religious belief or activity. Its exemptions only operate in relation to that prohibition. It will not in any way affect the current exemptions that religious bodies have and, as I said, that the Labor Party supported. In fact, Mr Dreyfus, when he was the Attorney-General, recognised and we all voted for the fact that when changes were made to the Sex Discrimination Act the exemptions would continue to apply to religious bodies.

In relation to students, the Prime Minister and I have made it very clear to the ALRC that we have a very clear expectation that no student should be expelled from a school because of their sexual identity.