Conservative members of the federal government are shaping up for a fight on religious protections and parental rights, as parliament prepares to legislate same-sex marriage before Christmas.
The scope of religious freedoms, and whether they ought be debated in coming weeks or postponed until next year, has seen cracks emerge within the government in the wake of the same-sex marriage postal vote.
Conservatives want a range of protections for civil celebrants and religious groups, as well as for parents who want to pull their kids out of school lessons which jar with their faith-based views.
Leading conservative figures Mathias Cormann and Peter Dutton have suggested these issues could be dealt with next year, allowing same-sex marriage to be legislated before Christmas.
But Treasurer Scott Morrison and Resources Minister Matt Canavan are demanding the religious protections be included into the marriage bill that is being debated in parliament.
"Now is the time to deal with these matters in one job lot," Senator Canavan told Sky News on Sunday.
A cross-party bill introduced by Liberal senator Dean Smith into the Senate on Thursday protects religious ministers from officiating same-sex marriages.
But Senator Canavan wants to insert sections of international covenants around freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief into the legislation.
Senator Canavan says ensuring parents are able to pull their kids from classes and courses they disagree with will also be critical to securing support from those opposed to same-sex marriage.
Liberal Senator Eric Abetz will be pushing for an even wider range of protections for parents, religious institutions and conscientious objectors.
"They should be protected immediately rather than being kicked down the road to be forgotten and put into the 'never-never' with parliamentary inquiries and committees," he told Sky News.
Opposition frontbencher Andrew Leigh says Labor is open to debate on religious freedoms, but the issue ought be considered separately to same-sex marriage.
"I do find it odd that some of the same people who were saying that we need to weaken protections against racial hate speech are now saying we need to change laws in the opposite direction on religious discrimination," Mr Leigh told the ABC.
"No one will be compelled to perform a same-sex wedding, just as churches today are able to choose which marriages they perform, and other religious orders likewise."
Gay rights campaigner Rodney Croome cautioned parliament against entrenching international freedoms of religion and conscience in the Marriage Act, warning it could override state and federal discrimination laws.
Liberal MP Tim Wilson, who supports same-sex marriage, does not want to see religious freedoms carved away from the marriage bill for debate next year.
However, Mr Wilson is concerned about the constitutional legality of the Commonwealth wading too far into the curriculums of state-run schools.
