Greens upper house Member Robert Simms last month introduced his Equal Opportunity Religious Freedom Bill, aimed at ensuring religious schools cannot reject job applications from prospective teachers because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Ms Game said the religious exemption was legislated to protect and uphold the right of religious schools and organisations to maintain long-held, traditional perspectives on identity, life and culture.

“It also ensures that schools and organisations can offer families the option to choose a religious school or institution that reflects their own beliefs and values,” Ms Game explained.

“The removal of religious exemptions means that many religious schools and organisations will be forced to conduct their business in a way that conforms with new woke ideologies, including gender fluidity, and my concern is that if this Bill becomes law it will hasten the removal of traditional religious perspectives from our society.”

Ms Game told The Advertiser that under the Greens’ plan, a Catholic school could “effectively be forced to employ a teacher who espouses gender fluidity and other woke principles”.

In responding to the Greens’ Bill in parliament, Ms Game told her fellow members that “any progressive Bill that purports to protect the rights of one group by removing the long-held rights of another group needs to be closely scrutinised”.

“My concern is that the removal of religious exemptions is a disproportionate and unjustified measure which conflates the elevation of LGBTIQ rights with the demise of religious freedom,” she said.

“This does not need to be the case. Both rights can co-exist in a balanced and proportionate way, and I would argue that the current legislation already achieves this.

“Under the current religious exemptions within the Equal Opportunity Act 1984, it is a requirement that all educational institutions provide a copy of their employment policy to any person being interviewed or offered employment.

“This means… any religious school wanting to be exempt from anti-discrimination laws must inform prospective employees of the school’s position on the employment of LGBTIQ people.

“Through this process, both employer and employee can be confident that both parties are aware of their rights and responsibilities, and both parties are free to accept or reject any offer based on their own values and beliefs.”