Outspoken Liberal MP Bernie Finn has hinted he will defy his party's position and vote against a bill outlawing gay conversion therapy.
The coalition has confirmed it will not oppose the Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Bill when it is debated in the Legislative Council on Thursday.
Instead, it will put forward a number of amendments, which are likely to fail given the make-up of the chamber.
Mr Finn said his party was united in its opposition to conversion therapy, but he couldn't support the legislation in its current form.
"My first priority today is to make the conversion therapy bill more palatable and hopefully palatable enough for everybody to support," he told reporters outside parliament on Thursday.
"We do want to ban the extremes of conversion therapy. But this bill goes far, far further than just that."
Mr Finn claimed the bill was an attack on freedom of assembly, speech and religion, undermined parental rights and interfered with the doctor-patient relationship.
Asked if he would cross the floor and vote against the bill, he replied: "That is a possibility."
The opposition's leader in the upper house, David Davis, said some members "certainly have strong views about the bill".
"We do allow people to vote against the party position in a conscience vote. That is a good thing," he told reporters earlier in the week.
The bill has already gained the support of crossbenchers Andy Meddick from the Animal Justice Party, Reason Party MP Fiona Patten and Samantha Ratnam of the Greens, meaning it is all but guaranteed to pass.
The reforms ban any therapy that attempts to change or suppress a person's sexual orientation or gender identity and puts in place strong criminal sanctions for people who subject others to conversion practices that cause injury or serious injury, with up to 10 years' jail for the latter.
The bill goes further than a similar law passed in Queensland last year, by prohibiting harmful practices not only in healthcare settings but also in religious settings.
This includes "carrying out a religious practice including but not limited to, a prayer based practice, a deliverance practice or an exorcism".
A number of religious leaders have raised issue with the bill, while the medical community is also concerned it could compromise the practice of psychiatry and psychotherapy.
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists said the bill may not protect "clinicians engaged in evidence-based practice to support the mental health needs of the LGBTIQ+ community".
"This can include exploratory work that empowers people to explore and challenge their own concepts of self, others and sexuality, and ultimately serves to affirm a clearer sense of self," it said in a statement.
Julian Rait, president of the Australian Medical Association's Victorian branch, said he supported the intention of the bill, but was concerned about the 10-year jail term.
The association has asked the clause be adjusted to be more in line with the other jurisdictions that have much lesser jail terms.
Martin Foley, the state's equality and health minister, said the government consulted with stakeholders on the bill for almost two years.
"This is a bill that is designed to tell people that they are valued for who they are and they are respected for who they are," he said on Wednesday.
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