Scott Morrison’s federal government has insisted on putting its Religious Discrimination Bill to a vote in one of the last sitting weeks of Parliament before the 2022 federal election. The proposed laws date back to a commitment then Liberal Party prime minister Malcolm Turnbull made, following the 2017 legalization of same-sex marriage. Opponents of same-sex marriage claimed that the reform would infringe on their ability to discriminate against LGBT people on a religious basis and demanded their bigotry be enshrined as a “right.”

Although a progressive backlash forced Morrison to water down the proposed laws, five Liberal Party MPs voted against the bill in the lower house this week on the grounds that it could expose LGBT students — and trans students in particular — to victimization. Nevertheless, the bill passed thanks to votes from the Australian Labor Party (ALP).

There was no guarantee that Morrison’s laws would find majority support in the Senate. Then, on Thursday, following a further backlash, the Australian Christian Lobby withdrew its support for the bill, saying they would now “do more harm than good.” The Coalition government quickly shelved the legislation, instead proposing an inquiry.