Religious freedom laws will be introduced to federal parliament by the end of this year, but are unlikely to take effect for at least a few months.
Attorney-General Christian Porter expects to introduce the bill and kick off the debate before Christmas, but anticipates the legislation will be scrutinised through a "heavy and contested" committee inquiry.
"I would say definitely introduction (of the bill) ... I think we'll get quite a distance through the debate," he told ABC Radio on Monday.
"I wouldn't be perfectly sure about full passage, but you know, you set targets and goals and you push towards them."
Mr Porter will hold another series of roundtable meetings on the draft laws next week.
He has already held more than 90 consultations, with many sessions running for more than two hours.
The sessions have highlighted unique requirements of religious aged care facilities and hospitals.
"There will be changes, but they're not changes at the margin, nor are they massive or substantial changes," Mr Porter said of the legislation.
There have been tens of thousands of pro forma, half-page submissions on the proposed legislation.
But Mr Porter says he is personally reading "serious and substantive" submissions on the bill.
The draft legislation has been criticised by a broad range of religious and secular groups.
The attorney-general says three key views have emerged.
"Big business don't want to have any limitation whatsoever to their ability to control what their employees do," he said.
"Religious and faith groups are generally pleased with the protection that having religion as an attribute would offer, but they would probably go further in giving themselves greater autonomy around employment of staff.
"LGBTI groups would go further again another way around further limiting people's ability to say things in accordance with their religion, even if those things aren't malicious or said in bad faith."
Mr Porter is now trying to balance the three competing views, ensuring each is accommodated as much as possible.
"But not everyone is going to be perfectly happy - that's the nature of this type of legislation," he said.
"The idea that everyone is going to be marching in the streets with placards congratulating the government on the bill is not where we're going to end up, but that doesn't mean there won't be a passage and a path way through parliament."
Australian Associated Press
