The Uniting Church has warned the Morrison government's religious discrimination bill gives too many freedoms to churches over minority groups, arguing it sets the "harm bar" too high before statements of religious belief would be deemed unlawful.

But in a sign of the difficult path the Coalition is navigating in the religious discrimination debate, other major religious bodies, such as the Sydney Anglican Church Diocese and the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, are pressuring the government to increase provisions for religious Australians.

Attorney-General Christian Porter released the draft religious discrimination bill in August. Credit:Ben Rushton

Public submissions on the federal government's religious discrimination bill closed on Wednesday. On Thursday, Attorney-General Christian Porter said the "next step" was to consider the submissions "side by side" and keep consulting with stakeholders.

He has previously said he expected to introduce the bill to Parliament in October, with a vote by the end of the year. Asked about the timeline on Thursday, he said: "In intending that the bill will be introduced this year, it should also be noted that the bill will inevitably be subject to further scrutiny through Senate committee inquiries as it goes through the Parliament."