Australia legalized same-sex marriage in Australia through the same-sex marriage bill.

　　Xinhua News Agency, Canberra, December 7 (Reporter Zhao Bo) The Australian House of Representatives officially passed the same-sex marriage bill on December 7, and same-sex marriage was officially legalized in Australia.

　　Earlier, the Australian Senate passed the same-sex marriage bill on November 29 with 43 votes in favor and 12 votes against.

　　After the House of Representatives passed the same-sex marriage bill, Australian Prime Minister Turnbull said on social media that "it is time to implement a wider marriage, with more commitment, more love and more respect, and marriage equality has been passed."

　　Australian Attorney General George Brandis issued a statement saying that the legalization of same-sex marriage reflects the equality of marriage in Australia and is also a major reform of the Australian marriage law. Brandis said that from December 9, any same-sex couple in Australia can submit an application for marriage, and after passing the examination, they will become legal couples and be protected by the Australian Marriage Law.

　　In the Australia-wide postal referendum held from September to November this year, more than 60% of the people voted in favor of amending the marriage law. The number of people who participated in the postal referendum exceeded 12.72 million, and the turnout rate reached 79.5%. The votes in favor of amending the marriage law and legalizing same-sex marriage accounted for 61.6% and the votes against it accounted for 38.4%.