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Turbans 4 Australia president Amar Singh wants to be able to ride his motorbike without a helmet.Credit:Wolter Peeters

"A lot of people have issues getting jobs in different industries,because they can't put on a hard hat.""It feels a bit overwhelming,"he said.

The Morrison government is preparing to bring itsreligious discrimination bill before Parliament next month. While it protects"religious activity",such as the wearing of a turban,there are several exemptions that have implications for the Sikh community.

Under the proposed bill,state laws - including road rules - must still be complied with. And workplaces and sporting bodies can impose restrictions on people's religious expression for safety reasons. For example,an employer could refuse to hire someone because they could not abide by workplace health and safety rules due to their religious dress.

Members of Australia's Sikh community have been calling for helmet exemptions for years and hoped the proposed religious discrimination bill would grant them more freedom. Mr Singh said he would make a formal submission to the federal government as part of its consultations with community and religious groups.

Sikhs have lived in Australia since the early 1800s and make up 0.5 per cent of the Australian population,according to the 2016 census.

Mr Singh,who founded the group Turbans 4 Australia in 2015,explained that baptised Sikhs did not cut their hair as a sign of respect to God. Wrapping a turban around their hair,which took about half an hour,was both a practical measure and a"spiritual crown". Mr Singh referred to it as"the most sacred object on my body".

Mr Singh said while Sikhs prided themselves on abiding by the law,"there are certain things we don't want to lose about ourselves". He noted that Sikh soldiers fighting with Allied forces at Gallipoli did not wear helmets.

Mr Singh added that he could not take his six-year-old son for a ride on his bicycle. And he said many older Sikhs would benefit from being able to ride a bike or scooter to the shops and elsewhere around their neighbourhood.

While NSW law requires all bicycle riders to wear a helmet,Victorian riders can exempt themselves on religious grounds. Both states require all motorbike riders to wear a helmet for safety reasons. In New Zealand,Sikhs can ride a motorbike without a helmet up to 50 km/hour.

Attorney-General Christian Porter said wearing a turban was the sort of lawful religious activity protected under the proposed religious discrimination bill and any exemptions - such as from road or workplace health and safety laws - would need to be"reasonable under the circumstances".

"For example,a rule that required someone to wear a helmet on a construction site would be considered reasonable if that rule existed to protect the health and safety of all workers,"Mr Porter said.

"While safety would be a reasonable basis in some circumstances,unreasonable rules like a requirement that banned the wearing of a turban in a public library,could constitute religious discrimination."

Amar Singh says while Sikhs pride themselves on abiding by the law,"there are certain things we don't want to lose about ourselves".Credit:Wolter Peeters

In 2016,the NSW government's Centre for Road Safety carried out standard bicycle helmet tests on the Sikh turban,finding it offered no impact protection. The test concluded a turban wearer would suffer serious to severe head injuries and/or skull fractures in the event of a crash if their head hit a solid object.

Centre for Road Safety executive director Bernard Carlon said a helmet"could be the difference between life and death".

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