Will Australia legalise same-sex marriage by 30 June, 2017?

The Australian government has proposed a plebiscite to determine national opinion on the matter of legalising gay marriage before the end of 2016. However, the outcome of the plebiscite is non-binding, and will be subject to a subsequent conscious vote in Parliament. The Parliament has the power to legislate on the issue of gay marriage at any time; the Opposition Party, Labour, recently proposed a Bill to amend the marriage act. While there is momentum towards same-sex marriage, there are still many challenges.