Australians vote 'Yes' to allow same-sex marriage

Australians voted decisively in favour of allowing same-sex couples to marry, sparking joyous celebrations Wednesday across the country even though the change must still be enshrined in law.

Thousands of marriage equality supporters took to the streets, dancing and singing when the results were announced, as colourful confetti filled the sky at rallies in cities across the country.

Almost 62 percent of the 12.7 million people who participated in the two-month non-binding postal survey voted in favour of allowing gay marriage, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull vowing to move a bill in favour of equality by Christmas.

Australians "have spoken in their millions and they have voted overwhelmingly yes for marriage equality," Turnbull told reporters in Canberra."They voted yes for fairness, yes for commitment, yes for love." 

Nearly 80



percent of eligible voters took part in the poll, despite fears that many young people might not respond to the postal survey in the digital age."This means everything, this means everything," said Chris, at a huge rally in Sydney, fighting back tears and hugging his partner Victor.

The "yes" vote was supported by majorities in every state and territory in the vast and varied nation, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which ran the survey. The "no" vote garnered 38.4 percent.

"Australians can have confidence these statistics reflect the view of the eligible population," the statistics bureau chief Davis Kalisch said.

Parliament must now adopt legislation to give the result the force of law, with Turnbull confident lawmakers would use their "conscience vote", where they are not obliged to vote along party lines, to bring in change.