Gay marriage campaigners will pressure Malcolm Turnbull to allow a free vote in parliament this year.
Australian Marriage Equality director Rodney Croome will seek an urgent meeting with the prime minister designate, arguing there's no reason to delay action on marriage reform.
"Our preferred path forward remains a free vote in parliament this year which can be achieved by a vote on Warren Entsch's co-sponsored bill," he said in a statement.
Mr Turnbull has indicated he'll stick by the government's current policy to hold a plebiscite on the issue.
But Mr Croome says it's time for Mr Turnbull to prove he is a leader who stands for individual freedoms.
"I hope he'd allow freedom for individual members of the Coalition, including himself, to not only support marriage equality but to vote for it," he told AAP.
"But if Australia is going down the path of a plebiscite, we want it sooner rather than later, preferably at the election so whichever party wins government has a mandate to act on those reforms."
Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch told AAP he doesn't think Mr Turnbull will overturn a party room decision to have a national vote on marriage equality rather than a free vote in parliament.
He said the party room had made it "very very clear" that there would be a plebiscite and he would offer to work with Mr Turnbull on the wording and timing of the vote.
The Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby said marriage reform must be dealt with as a priority by the parliament.
"We know Malcolm Turnbull supports marriage equality and we also know he supports a conscience vote within the Liberal party. We'd encourage him to make good on those convictions," convenor Justin Koonin told AAP.
"There should be a vote in the parliament as soon as possible. Australia wants this off the table and frankly Malcolm Turnbull wants this off the table."
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