Thousands of people including high-profile politicians and entertainers turned out over the weekend at rallies across the country for a National Day of Action for Marriage Equality, intensifying the pressure on Australia's leaders to support the introduction of same-sex marriage.

With three marriage equality bills currently before Federal Parliament, Greens MP Adam Bandt – a co-sponsor of one of the bills – called on MPs and senators today to use the next few months to work on bringing together a single bill, adding that there was a “sense of inevitability about the change coming”.

Two private member's bills to legalise same-sex marriage have been introduced into federal parliament today.

Labor backbencher Stephen Jones has announced he expects his Private Member's Bill on marriage equality to be tabled on Monday (February 13).

Greens MP Adam Bandt and Independent MP Andrew Wilkie today announced their co-sponsored marriage equality bill just days before Labor MP Stephen Jones is due to release a similar bill.

After arriving in Melbourne overnight as a guest of the Australian Open, tennis legend Margaret Court has claimed that she has been the victim of a targeted hate campaign for simply repeating “what God has said in the Scriptures” following her most recent attacks on the LGBT community.

Marriage equality advocates have reacted angrily to the Labor Party’s decision today to back a parliamentary conscience vote on the issue, with the likes of Australian Marriage Equality convener Alex Greenwich saying that the fight will continue.

A private member’s bill calling for marriage equality will be introduced in Federal Parliament in coming months, with Labor MP for Throsby, Stephen Jones, signalling that he will do so when parliament resumes next February following the ALP’s historic policy shift earlier today to support same-sex marriage rights.

The Australian Greens have announced they will reintroduce their marriage equality bill into both houses of parliament when sittings resume next year.

A meeting in Canberra between marriage equality advocates and key federal independents has been hailed as a success.