A motion supporting a conscience vote on marriage equality has been passed in the West Australian parliament, with the premier describing a national plebiscite as "destructive".
Colin Barnett told the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday the federal government should accept its responsibility to deal with the issue.
"It is an issue on which members of the commonwealth parliament should vote as, I would strongly recommend, a free vote," he said.
The premier said leaving it to a plebiscite would be "very destructive".
"I think we would see some of the worst sides of Australian society," he said.
"I think we would see people marching in the street on either side of the debate, and we would see acrimony, personal insults (and) abuse."
Labor MP Lisa Baker moved the original motion, saying she should have the right to marry the person she loves.
"It is not a gift to be bestowed by others, nor is it something we should have to wait to receive when others feel comfortable and ready to give it," she said.
"The formal and legally protected right to marry should be based on dignity, fairness and equality, and members, it should be available right now to people like me."
Several others spoke on the issue, including Labor leader Mark McGowan, who said if legislation was passed, marriage equality would be normal within a month and everyone would move on.
Deputy Premier Kim Hames, who has been married for almost 40 years and whose children were raised as Catholics, said his views had changed over time, but he was glad he did not have to vote on the matter.
"If I had a free vote, I would probably support the concept," he said.
But not everyone supported the motion, including Liberal MP Peter Abetz, who compared the issue to the Stolen Generation.
"The sad chapter of our history of the Stolen Generations surely points out to us that kids want to be brought up by their biological mum and dad, if that is at all possible," he said.
