A poll published Wednesday shows that a
majority of Australians support marriage rights for gay and lesbian
couples.
Published in The Australian
newspaper, the poll found that 62 percent of respondents support
marriage equality, while 32 percent remain opposed.
Only 39 percent agree with the
government's plan to hold a non-binding public vote on whether the
government should legalize such unions. A plurality of respondents
(48%) said that lawmakers should decide the issue.
Opponents of the vote argue that its
$160 million price tag is not justified given that it would not
legalize such unions in the nation. However, Prime Minister Malcolm
Turnbull has promised to abide by its outcome. Some conservative
lawmakers opposed to marriage equality have said that their votes
won't change regardless of the plebiscite outcome.
A bill to approve the plebiscite has
stalled in the Australian Senate.