A Sikh community leader has told the Australian Senate that marriage equality “will destroy the whole human race”.

Bawa Singh Jagdev, who has received the Order of Australia, also suggested that gay men should refer to their relationships as “homo unions” as he tried to encourage the chamber not to introduce equal marriage.

As part of his submission to the Senate’s inquiry, Mr Jagdev, who is secretary of the National Sikh Council of Australia and responded on its behalf, said: “What the proponents of the bill are proposing and supporting is against the law of nature.

“God created humans on this planet to propagate the human race and not to destroy it. This bill will destroy the whole human race.”

Although he was not against same-sex relationships, he stated they shouldn’t interfere with the current definition of marriage.

“Give it a different name, such as homo union and recognise the relationship,” he added.

When approached by BuzzFeed, Mr Jagdev reiterated his comments that equal marriage would destroy the world.

He said: “If a gay person marries another gay person, they won’t produce anything.

“Suppose they adopt a kid and he becomes gay. How will the population increase?

“After a few years, or centuries, there won’t be anybody left.

“There won’t be any woman or man. It will be finished.”

He added that children raised in gay households will probably become gay because they will just copy their parents.

Terri Butler, Labor’s shadow equality minister, said Mr Jagdev’s comments were “inappropriate and disrespectful”.

Recently, an advert was released to promote a free vote in parliament on the marriage equality question.

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott also warned his successor against not holding a plebiscite on the issue.