The bill will now be debated by the upper house in the House of Representatives, and if they approve of it, Australia will declare same-sex marriage legal.

According to reports, the bill receive support 43-12 in the Senate.

Following the results, Attorney-General George Brandis, the government's Senate leader, said, "By passing this bill, we are saying to those vulnerable young people there is nothing wrong with you. You are not unusual. You are not abnormal. You are just you."

On Nov 15, nearly 62 percent of the 12.7 million people voted in favour of the change.

The vote, which went on for two months, was done via a non-binding postal survey.

Following the results, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull vowed to move a bill in favour of equality by Christmas.

He told reporters in the capital, "Australians have spoken in their millions and they have voted overwhelmingly yes for marriage equality."

"They voted yes for fairness, yes for commitment, yes for love," he added.

Same sex marriages were legal for a very brief time in Australia around 2013, but a High Court ruling that very year made it impossible for LGBTQ couples to marry legally in the country.
 

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