Major reforms
Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey
12 September 2017
Australians have their say on if the law should be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry.
In August 2017 the Australian Government announced it would hold a national survey to test public opinion on changing the definition of marriage to include persons of the same sex.
The survey was challenged in the High Court of Australia. It was argued the Government did not have the power to run and pay for the survey without the approval of the Australian Parliament. The High Court ruled the survey could go ahead.
Participation in the survey was not mandatory, but almost 80% of voters chose to have their say. The majority agreed same-sex couples should be able to marry. In December 2017 the Parliament acted on the wishes of the Australian people by passing the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017. This changed the law, allowing same-sex couples to marry in Australia.