The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Wednesday announced that a majority of Australians voted in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage in a two-month postal survey.

Sixty-one percent of Australians voted “yes” to marriage equality, while 38% voted “no.”

In Melbourne, where hundreds of people had gathered to hear the results, cheers broke out following the announcement.

A majority of people from every state and territory voted “yes.”

Following the vote, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called for same-sex marriage to be legalized before Christmas.

“They voted 'yes' for fairness. They voted 'yes' for commitment. They voted 'yes' for love. And now it is up to us here in the Parliament of Australia to get on with it,” Turnbull told reporters in Canberra.

“The people of Australia have spoken and I intend to make their wish the law of the land by Christmas. This is an overwhelming call for marriage equality,” Turnbull said in a short video posted on social media.

The government turned to the survey after lawmakers twice rejected plans for a referendum, or plebiscite, on the issue. The ABS survey didn't require parliamentary approval.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the U.S.'s largest LGBT rights advocate, applauded the results of the survey.

“We congratulate Australia's LGBTQ advocates and allies who worked so hard to ensure a victory in this postal survey,” Ty Cobb, director of HRC Global, said in a statement. “It's crucial that loving, committed same-sex couples in Australia have the same rights and protections that come with marriage. We urge the Australian Parliament to take swift action ensuring marriage equality becomes the law of the land.”