Wimmera LGBTQIA+ community members are feeling the blow, calling the bill an act of inequality.

Member for Mallee, Dr Anne Webster remains steadfast that the bill will protect discrimination against religious beliefs and to maintain the bills "integrity."

Charlie Helyar is a gay man who grew up in Rainbow and has lived in Horsham for almost a year said the news left him "emotional."

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"I woke up to the news that the Religious Discrimination bill passed the House of Reps," he said.

"There is still more work to do to fix or defeat this terrible bill. I have a myriad of emotions and feelings going on at the moment. I can't believe this is happening in 2022 and in Australia.

"Everybody deserves to be treated with respect and dignity, no matter who we are, whom we love or what we believe."

Patrick Quaine is chairperson for the Wimmera Pride Project and said the bill will not improve equal treatment.

"The most troubling thing is what is brings up in our community," he said.

"People are still being verbally abused in the streets of Horsham.

"There is a problem there and this legislation, whether is will make it worse or not, it certainly won't make it better."

Mr Quaine, who has lived in Horsham for over four years with his partner of five years said he wasn't surprised it was passed.

"I'm disappointed that the liberal MP's that said they weren't going to support it, supported it to get it through," he said.

"I'm not surprised because from my understanding it will go to the senate where Labor are going to put in the amendment so it will come back to the House."

Labor ministers are calling for amendments to the bill.

Mr Quaine said he was impressed by some of the speeches made by MPs during the debate but wanted to see changes made, particularly for the section 12, statement of belief clause.

"If it passes in its current form, it's detrimental for a host of reasons," he said.

"I'm holding out hope the government will make some of the amendments Labor are putting forward like to change or remove Section 12.

"They'll have to make some concessions."

Mr Quaine said given the committees who looked into the bill said it should be passed in its current form gives him "doubt they'll budge on anything."

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Mr Quaine said despite Wimmera Pride Project making submissions, it was disappointing Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster "didn't listen".

"It demonstrates she doesn't care about us," he said.

"We took our concerns to her in the form she wanted, we made a submission to her (Joint Committee on Human Rights).

"The committee confirmed that our concerns were valid and she chose to do nothing with those concerns.

"When people are screaming at you, begging you to do something and you don't listen to them? Her job is first and foremost is to represent us, even though we're a minority, her job is still to represent us.

"She's not. She's representing the needs and the will of the Prime Minister to get this bill through before the election rather than worrying the impacts it's going to have."

Dr Webster said the balance of the legislation is "no easy task."

"This legislation needs to rightly maintain the integrity and the intention of the bill, which is to provide protections against discrimination for people of faith and those who hold no belief, while also not inflicting harm or unintended damage to others," she said.

"This is not an easy task, which is why Parliament has been receiving submissions, survey responses, and conducting reviews since 2017.

"I want to see a good outcome for religious people and LGBTIQ+ people. At this point, the legislative package is in the hands of the Senate where it will be debated and voted on. This includes both the Religious Discrimination Act, which deals with religious protections, and the Sex Discrimination Act, which deals with the protections of people based on sex.

"The Religious Discrimination Bill will seek to complete the Commonwealth's international obligations under the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, of which Australia is a signatory."

The religious discrimination bill passed in the Lower House with a final vote of 65-59, five coalition MPs crossed the floor.

The bill has now been shelved indefinitely.

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