A new poll has found a majority of voters reject the Coalition’s plan to allow discriminatory religious statements. 

Three-quarters of respondents to the YouGov Galaxy poll of 1,030 voters said they did not support a central clause in the new religious discrimination bill that would allow discriminatory speech. 

As well, almost 65 per cent said it should be illegal for religious schools to expel LGBTQ+ students. 

The poll was conducted for lobby group Just Equal, and found that 77 per cent of respondents oppose the “statements of belief” clause, which would exempt statements that would normally breach discrimination laws if they were found to be statements grounded in religious belief. 

In short, the Coalition has sought to give a free pass to speech that humiliates, intimidates, insults or ridicules people based on protected attributes. The religious dscrimination bill would allow religious people and organisations to discriminate. 

Sixty-four per cent of those polled also said it should be against the law for religious schools to expel or refuse to enrol students who were bisexual, gay, lesbian or transgender, including children of same-sex couples - another discriminatory act that the Morrison Government has sought to protect. About 62 per cent of respondents said a teacher should not be sacked for their sexuality.

Two parliamentary inquiries into the religious discrimination bill will report before a short parliamentary sitting on Friday.