Uniting Church leader said this was not the right way to protect religious groups

Uniting Church Reverend Denise Liersch, moderator Synod of Victoria and Tasmania, said the bill should never have been brought to parliament.

"The Uniting Church in Australia was relieved that the Religious Discrimination Bill was not passed into law. We do not believe this bill should have passed in the form it was tabled in parliament," Rev Liersch said.

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"We believe there were certain provisions in this bill that actually increase the likelihood of discrimination against people of minority faiths and also people from more vulnerable groups within society."

Rev Liersch said the Uniting Church agreed with concerns from the LGBTIQ community.

"We have particular concerns that there is increased potential for discrimination of people within the LGBTIQ community, people living with disabilities and women," she said.

"We believe it does this by privileging powerful religious voices at the expense of minority and vulnerable voices in society, which seems to be the exact opposite of its purpose, and by providing what we see as extraordinary and excessive religious exceptions.

Rev Liersch said the bill would not help bring about unity as some had claimed.

"We are concerned such provisions could have the effect in the wider community of emboldening discrimination by providing an authorising environment for demeaning statements or actions," she said.

"Rather than building harmony and tolerance it would have a corrosive effect on society."

Another concern, Rev Liersch noted, was access to certain services.

"As a provider of education and community services across Australia, including hospitals and aged care services, we are concerned certain provisions within this Bill may act as a barrier to vulnerable people accessing essential services or people from minority groups seeking employment," she said.

Rev Liersch said the church said the bill was inappropriate and would create barriers for vulnerable groups.

"The Uniting Church in Australia believes people should be protected from discrimination on the basis of religion, however we don't believe this bill in its current form was the appropriate way to do this," she said.

"We are saddened by the impact on the LGBTIQIA+ community, particularly the impact on young people in the community.

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"We regret the way in which people in the LGBTIQIA+ community have once again felt that their humanity could be debated by the wider community.

"We are also concerned at the impact the debate associated with this bill had on other groups such as those who live with a disability, and members of minority religions who also had very real concerns about the impact this bill would have had on them."

Rev Liersh said the Uniting Church want to see all rights protected but through another legislation.

"We don't believe this bill should be reintroduced in its current form," she said.

"It has long been the belief of the Uniting Church in Australia that the rights of religious people should be protected, alongside the protection of other rights, through the development of a comprehensive Human Rights Act."

National Catholic Education executive director Jacinta Collins said the legislation realised Australia's international responsibility to protect religious freedom.

"Both major parties have acknowledged the importance of our schools maintaining their religious ethos with their support for the protections proposed in the Religious Discrimination Bill," she said.

Ms Collins said protections for religious freedom need to be balanced with other human rights.

"Catholic schools provide a universal education and do not discriminate, and are not seeking to discriminate, against students based on their personal attributes including sexual orientation and gender identity, or other attributes such as disability or ethnicity," she said.

"We support further work occurring with the Sex Discrimination Act to ensure an appropriate balance of protections, and at the same time, welcome the acknowledgment that faith-based schools should maintain their capacity to operate within their religious ethos.

"It's important to recognise that in their day-to-day operations faith-based school communities already work with students, families and staff to find this balance and to respond in a pastoral way to the needs of their members."

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