Almost 60 per cent of eligible Australians have cast their votes in the same-sex marriage postal survey, but campaigners from both sides of the debate insist the fight is far from over.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics received about 9.2 million ballots by the end of last week, accounting for 57.5 per cent of the forms it sent out.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says this shows Australians do want to have their opinions heard, after Labor blocked a promised plebiscite.
Opposition leader Bill Shorten says while he still believes the survey is unnecessary, he is pleased with the rate of participation.
"I am pleased with the good turnout, absolutely. I don't think we should've had the...spent $122 million, I mean, put simply, Turnbull could've saved the taxpayer $120 million simply by having the courage to get the job done in parliament. If was I him, there's nothing to gloat about this survey, it's $122 million, it's been an ordeal for a lot of Australians but the process is the process and I encourage people to participate in it, as they clearly are," Mr Shorten said.
The results will be published on November 15.
