We have seen such a flurry of political activity in the Tasmanian electorate of Bass, the most marginal seat in the country, with a flyer circulating called "The truth about Bridget Archer" from the Australian Christian Lobby.

It depicts Ms Archer demolishing a church with a wrecking ball and refers to her voting record against faith-based schools.

The flyer has received some backlash and complaints stating it is a smear campaign of those who are opposed to the religious discrimination bill.

But is the flyer a smear campaign or is it simply stating the truth about Ms Archer's voting record on laws affecting churches and Christian schools?

The fact is that Ms Archer did vote to remove legal protections that Christian schools rely upon to ensure they can employ staff aligned with the beliefs of the school.

A number of which are located in her electorate and were bitterly disappointed by her actions.

Thankfully the vote was unsuccessful as it did not have the support of the ALP and Coalition party members.

She also crossed the floor to vote against her own government's religious discrimination bill, which would have protected all Australians from religious discrimination, regardless of their faith.

A Bill that has now been shelved and pushed to the back of the too-hard pile as both parties battle it out for the top job.

Throughout this debate, our sector has been completely mischaracterised and maligned by people who are opposed to real religious freedom.

Christian schools seek to love and care for all children who are enrolled, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

But we must be able to teach and uphold our Christian values and beliefs within the school, otherwise, we cease to offer a point of difference for parents compared to the state, independent or other religious school systems.

We need the protections offered by the religious discrimination bill to ensure our model of Christian education.

Our schools must be able to employ people who share their beliefs and also be free to teach their beliefs for there to be real religious freedom.

Protecting religious freedom is a fundamental human right that is protected in international law, but not by the Australian Parliament.

Protection against religious discrimination is long overdue - it is the missing piece of the discrimination puzzle and will allow religious people to feel safe in the community when being open and authentic about their beliefs.

As the federal election campaign gains pace we must look beyond the headlines and seek the truth in these matters for ourselves.

Australians should have the right to proudly identify as religious without fear of being discriminated against.

Australians should be able to trust that the MP they voted for will vote according to its own party's values and election commitments.