Racial Discrimination Act changes on ice as Attorney General George Brandis reviews 5,500 submissions

Free-market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) says Attorney-General George Brandis needs to act on his pre-election promise and "immediately" repeal part of the Racial Discrimination Act.

At least one member of the Government who had flagged concerns with the proposed replacement of 18c of the Act has welcomed news that the change has been put on ice until at least later in the year.

The Coalition had pledged to repeal 18c after it was used to successfully prosecute conservative News Corp columnist Andrew Bolt in 2011.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott told parliament in March he planned to legislate the changes in the budget session.

But Attorney-General George Brandis said today he was still reading through the 5,500 submissions he had received from the community about the proposed change.

"I will be returning to Cabinet having reflected on those submissions later in the year," the minister told the ABC's AM program.

The IPA's legal rights project director Simon Breheny says it is "troubling" the Government is taking so long to decide "whether it is committed to basic liberal democratic principles".

"Before the 2013 federal election, George Brandis said 'one of my first priorities will be to remove from the Racial Discrimination Act the provisions under which Andrew Bolt was dragged before the courts'," Mr Breheny said.

"The Attorney-General should act on those words and move to repeal section 18c immediately."

Liberal backbencher Zed Seselja disagrees, saying it is important for the Government to take its time to get the changes right.

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Racial Discrimination Act changes on ice as Attorney General George Brandis reviews 5,500 submissions