Asia would view Australia as "decadent" if the country were to embrace same-sex marriage, government minister Barnaby Joyce says.
The frontbencher, who opposes changing the Marriage Act, was responding to claims made by his senate colleague Eric Abetz that no Asian country has gone down the path of redefining marriage.
Mr Joyce told ABC TV on Sunday there are judgments made in Asia about Australia "whether we like it or not".
Mr Joyce said he supports traditional marriage, which gives children a mother and a father and has been trialled by thousands of years.
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"In life everybody doesn't get everything they want, sometimes it's a tough game," he said.
The agriculture minister warned legalising same-sex marriage could create problems.
"I don't think that if you go and pass a piece of legislation that says a diamond is a square makes diamonds squares, they're two different things."
Cabinet minister Scott Morrison was "sympathetic" with having a plebiscite on the issue of same-sex marriage.
Despite wanting the current definition of marriage to remain, Mr Morrison is open to the debate being explored by the community rather than "warring politics or warring clerics".
"I don't flip-flop on these things as I notice some have," he told Network Ten on Sunday.
His comments follow those by Senator Eric Abetz, who on Friday defended penning a sternly-worded rebuke to Hobart City Council for expressing support for same sex marriage.
In the letter, dated June 17, the Tasmanian senator said the council's resolution "undermines the important social institution of marriage" and had nothing to do with the priorities of ratepayers.
Senator Abetz earlier suggested frontbenchers who supported change should resign, and that allowing same sex marriage would open a "Pandora's box" and potentially lead to polyamory.
Labor Senator Penny Wong has slammed his comments, stating that the "sort of language and propositions from those who oppose marriage equality flick between illogical and outright offensive".
