The federal government has promised to hold a plebiscite on same sex marriage by the end of the year, if it's re-elected.
Attorney General George Brandis says if the public approve the change, the government would legislate to give effect to the wishes of the people.
But Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is not committing to a timeframe, instead saying one will be held as soon as possible after the election. Campaigners are calling for immediate action.
The federal Attorney General, George Brandis, has told Sky News there is no doubt that if the public votes yes, parliament will follow the will of the nation.
BRANDIS
"The plebiscite will occur before the end of this year, and in the event that there would be a yes vote the government would legislate to give effect to the wishes of the people."
Mr Brandis has also become the latest politician to personally support the change.
BRANDIS
"Like a lot of people this is a position that I have come to over the years and after a lot of reflection."
On Saturday, (March 5) Malcolm Turnbull became the first sitting Prime Minister to attend the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney.
TURNBULL
"This is an event that Lucy and I have attended for many, many years, and I think it's a wonderful event in the life of Sydney and I'm delighted to be here."
Opposition leader Bill Shorten was among those on a Labor float, the first leader from one of the two major parties to take part in the event.
SHORTEN
"Last night I was on a march which shows the last remaining barrier to true equality for gay Australians is marriage equality. So I marched because I believe that we should make marriage equality a reality next week in parliament. Certainly if Labor gets elected at the next election I promise to introduce legislation to make marriage equality a reality in Australia within the first 100 days."
Shirleene Robinson is the New South Wales convenor for the organisation, Australian Marriage Equality.She says it's not an issue that is going to go away.
ROBINSON
"We would like to see the Australian parliament do the most simple and straightforward thing which would be to have a free vote and to see marriage equality happen in Australia as soon as next week. We don't really believe that there's any need for a costly or divisive plebiscite that will probably end up exceeding $160 million dollars to hold. Earlier this year, in January, we actually found out that we do in fact have the numbers in parliament, so if there was a free vote we could get this done very simply and easily."
The Australian Electoral Commission has told a parliamentary inquiry it would need 29 weeks to plan a plebiscite, meaning holding one this year would likely require an early election. Australian law currently defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The Australian Christian Lobby is urging Australians to inform themselves of the far-reaching consequences of changing the definition of marriage in law. Western Australian Liberal MP Dennis Jensen told the Seven Network he's questioning the timing of the issue.
JENSEN
"To me there is an element of rushing this. I don't think that too many people in the party room would have been expecting that we would have been looking at an end of year deadline."
But Shirleene Robinson says Australia compares poorly in comparison to other English speaking countries in the developed world.
ROBINSON
"All culturally comparable nations like places in America, the United Kingdom and New Zealand and Canada and South Africa, I mean I could just reel off a whole list of places, have introduced this reform. And even Ireland which a lot of people sort of have this idea that Ireland is perhaps less progressive than Australia. Yet they've also done it through a referendum which they were of course forced to have.
