Australians voted in favour of allowing same-sex couples to marry, official results showed Wednesday, sending the task of legalising marriage equality to a deeply divided parliament.

Almost 62 percent of the 12.7 million people who participated in the two-month postal survey voted in favour of allowing gay marriage, the Australian Bureau of Statistics announced at a press conference in Canberra.

Same-sex couples could now be able to marry by Christmas, but first parliament must adopt legislation giving the non-binding vote result the force of law.

Source:AFP