Attorney-General George Brandis denies the federal government is backing away from repealing the Racial Discrimination Act, as human rights commissioner Tim Wilson gears up for a battle with his colleagues over the changes.
"It is incorrect to say that either (Prime Minister Tony) Abbott or I have ever said that it was the new government's intention to repeal section 18C," Senator Brandis said of the passage of law which covers free speech.
During a Senate estimates hearing on Monday, Labor asked Senator Brandis if the government was backing away from its changes in the wake of community opposition.
He conceded there is strong support for both sides of the argument and that the government is yet to decide how extensive the legislative change will be.
"We are not backing away from anything, we are carefully and steadily and methodically going about giving affect that which we undertook to do."
Mr Wilson, appointed by the Abbott government as freedom commissioner, will argue for a full repeal of a clause in the Act that was used successfully to prosecute conservative commentator Andrew Bolt.
But he is at odds with his fellow commissioners.
The Human Rights Commission has acknowledged the government's right to change the law, but has indicated it would prefer modest change to section 18C.
Mr Wilson says the section places unnecessary restrictions on free speech that offends, insults, humiliates or intimidates people on the basis of their race, colour or national or ethnic origin.
"It conflicts with other human rights and therefore does not meet the threshold for restricting speech," he wrote in The Australian on Monday.
