VCAT has refused to make a ruling on a sex discrimination case involving Mildura's Greek Orthodox Church and a long term parishioner. But the woman at the centre of the case has an ally in the Archdiocese.

Faith is central to the life of Mary Bakopolous, who has been an active participant in the Mildura parish of the Greek Orthodox Church since 1961.

For many years she says she worked happily as the treasurer within the ladies auxiliary arm of the church.

"At that time I was of a different mindset, I was happy to do it," she says.

"We always accepted the fact that women were part of the auxiliary, or the philanthropic arm, and the men were part of the actual committee."

More recently though, Ms Bakopolous says her dealings with the church have led to her feeling humiliated, anxious and depressed - after she was refused membership to the church's committee.

She says she was driven to become more involved in the church's operation after her father's death in 2009.

When no members were available to open the church for her father's memorial, she was motivated to join the committee.

"I was told that there weren't enough committee members to open the church," she says.

"So I offered to become a committee member and I'll open the church - it's as simple as that.

"We've got an ageing population here; we all know each other, I'll open the church - let me become a member."

Membership denied

But Mary Bakopolous was flatly denied membership to the church committee. The decision from the seven member committee was unanimous, but no reason was given for the refusal.

She says in an informal phone call with committee member Bill Stamation, she was told women were not permitted on the committee.

"Mary you know that it's not set up that way, because we've all known, we've all accepted, or we've all felt it, or assumed, that women cannot be a member of the committee."

In the months following, Mary Bakopolous lodged a case with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, arguing that she had been refused membership to the Mildura Greek Orthodox Parish committee on the grounds of being a woman.

When giving evidence for the committee at the VCAT hearing in February in Mildura, Bill Stamation denied any phone conversation took place where he took issue with her gender.

He told the tribunal the reason for Mary Bakopolous's rejection was the business of the committee, but it was not because she was a woman.

But he also said that, in his experience, women preferred to be on the women's auxiliary, and that he had directed Mary Bakopolous to one of the women who organised working bees for the parish.

The women's arm

Julie Kiapekos works on the women's auxiliary of Mildura's Greek Orthodox Parish.

"For quite a period of time just to raise money we had the souvlaki van at the Mildura show, so we'd have a roster system happening, the men would cook on the grill, the women would serve, etc."

She says she has never thought about joining what she calls the 'men's committee'.

"Never even thought about it; we are there anyway, so whether it's written on a bit of paper or not, we're there, so.

"It never occurred to me to take it to another level, or anything like that," she says.

"My husband's a member of the men's committee; I'm a member of the women's auxiliary."

Ms Kiapekos says it is generally understood that if you are going to be involved in the church and you're a woman you become involved in the women's auxiliary.

"That's how it's always been," she says.

Pushing the envelope

Mary Bakopolous says she wants to challenge this assumption.

"They have had the privilege, being a male, to be a member through their life, and they actually have a position on the executive and the committee - all their life," she says.

"Which is no different to having a vote, on an event, on painting the bricks, on having a priest or doing this, or being transparent, being accountable."

"How 'bout me? That's all it is. How 'bout me?

But VCAT has refused to rule on the matter, due to a legal loophole that makes the tribunal unable to decide whether Mary Bakopolous's claims of sex discrimination are valid.

VCAT states that the church must have a liquor license to be defined as a club under the act; but the church has only had temporary liquor licenses for social events.

Friends in high places

Mary Bakopolous does have an ally, however, in Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis, who works as the Assistant to the Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.

"The Archdiocese actually encourages the full participation in all aspects of the church's life of both male and female members," he says.

"And that's what I want to underline, there is nothing precluding the women of the church taking up leadership roles, in fact his eminence has repeatedly encouraged and applauded those women who have gone into the governing bodies of the parish or community.

"And we have several churches in Sydney and here in Melbourne that have both male and female in their boards."

The Bishop acknowledges that in Mildura there has never been a woman involved in the governance of the Greek Orthodox Church.

"Look I think it's more a mindset that needs to be expanded and corrected," he says.

The Mildura Greek Orthodox Parish was built and paid for by the community in the post-war period, giving it some independence from the Archdiosese in operation.

But Bishop Iakovos says they are still under the guidance of the Archbishop.

"They have a sense of more autonomy than most parish communities, but they are not without responsibility in being obedient to the church."

"We can speak with them, we can write to them, we can direct a course of action; they can contest it, if they want, but on what grounds can they contest it? This is a human right."

No one from the Mildura Greek Orthodox Parish committee was available for an interview with the ABC.