The Votes Are In: Australia Says "Yes" to Marriage Equality Postal Survey

Celebrations are being held everywhere.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has revealed that the majority of Australians believe the law should be changed to allow same-sex couples to get married.

The ABS released the results of the Australia’s postal survey this morning, which showed that 61.6 per cent of Australians are in favour of changing the law.

The question posed in the survey was: "Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?" Voters were asked to respond with a "Yes" or "No".

According to the data, 81 per cent of females and 75 per cent of males aged 18 and 19 participated in the survey, compared to 76 per cent of females and 69 per cent of males aged 20 to 24.

Thankfully, the percentage of votes marked as "unclear" and not counted was marginal at 0.2 per cent across all states and territories, except Victoria, which was still only at 0.3 per cent.

In terms of states and territories, Australian Capital Territory had the highest amount of "Yes" voters with 74 per cent, while New South Wales (NSW) had the lowest amount with 58 per cent voting "Yes".

The highest "Yes" voting electorates in NSW were Sydney with 84 per cent, Grayndler in Sydney's Inner West with 80 per cent and Newcastle with 75 per cent.

In Victoria, it was Melbourne with 84 per cent, Melbourne Ports with 82 per cent and the South-Eastern Melbourne electorate of Higgins with 78 per cent.

There are some serious celebratory Tweets hitting up Twitter right now.

Absolute scenes #MarriageEquality pic.twitter.com/rITPNFDoig

— Anthony Colangelo (@AnthColangelo) November 14, 2017

The moment Sydney heard Australia saying YES #MarriageEquality pic.twitter.com/d50n7hCTEB

— Lisa Visentin (@LisaVisentin) November 14, 2017

The turnout for the voluntary postal vote surprised many, with more than 79 per cent of eligible voters (or just over 12.5 million) submitting their say before the cut-off date on November 7. That percentage was higher than the 2016 United States election turnout and the same-sex marriage referendum in Ireland.

Turnout for Australia's postal survey (67.5) so far is bigger than:
- US election (55.7)
- Irish ssm referendum (60.52)
- UK election (65.4)

— Alice Workman (@workmanalice) October 17, 2017

Being such an enormous political issue in Australia, and the world, at the moment, the news travelled pretty quickly.

So happy for the LGBTQI community in Australia. Enjoy this moment. You deserve it. The world celebrates with you.

Onward to #MarriageEquality! ✅🌈

— Raymond Braun (@raymondbraun) November 14, 2017

So, there you have it. Despite 45 per cent of Australians describing the overall process as "bad" and not wanting to ever do it again, we’ve achieved a result that shows our politicians that we, as a nation, would like to join the rest of world in allowing the LGBTQIA+ community to marry. Let’s just hope that the legalisation process is swift and seamless.

In the meantime, let your hair down at your nearest Yes celebration.

Sydney: There will be an all-ages protest festival at Taylor Square on Oxford Street from 6pm. Check out the Facebook event for more details.

Melbourne: There will be street party on Lygon Street from 5.30pm. Head here for more deets.

Canberra: Another street party from 5pm. Check out the event here.

Head to the Equality Campaign's website to find more Yes events near you.

Photo: iStock.com/Rawpixel