A eBay seller has narrowly avoided a fine or jail for offering a same-sex marriage postal survey form for sale online.
The seller, from Kingsgrove in Sydney, was seeking bids from $1500, but eBay took the item down after a request from the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Friday.
"The reason I'm selling my vote is because either way I don't care, but thought there are people who do," the anonymous seller wrote.
The proceeds were to go to "help kids battling cancer", the seller said.
The ABS, which will start mailing survey forms next week, said the selling or buying of any survey form was a criminal offence, which could attract a fine of up to $2100 or a year in jail.
The ABS said it had confirmed with eBay and Facebook they would block and remove any listings of survey forms for sale.
Other online marketplaces such as Amazon, Alibaba and Gumtree had also been alerted.
Crossbench senator Nick Xenophon said no one should be allowed to "game" the survey.
"Any attempt to distort the results of this important survey must be met with appropriate legal safeguards otherwise it makes a complete mockery of it," he told reporters in Canberra on Friday.
The issue emerged as Labor and the government began talks on urgent laws to ensure all survey campaign material is authorised, as it would during an election campaign.
Senator Cormann said the safeguard legislation could clear parliament next week if there was consensus.
"We want this process to be fair to both sides of this argument and for Australians to have the opportunity to have their say in an appropriate environment," the minister told AAP on Friday.
Labor leader Bill Shorten wants to include the provisions which govern elections.
"I want to see, for example, proper authorisations so that we know who is actually saying what," he told reporters in Melbourne.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters in Samoa, where he was attending the Pacific Islands Forum, all Australians should engage in the debate respectfully.
But he expected there would be some "isolated unpleasant things".
Treasurer Scott Morrison said Australians should not feel intimidated about having their say in this debate, and added that he'll be voting no.
The result of the survey will be announced on November 15, followed by a vote in parliament on a private member's bill if there is a majority "yes" result.
