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Liberal Democratic senator David Leyonhjelm has called on "true" liberals in the Abbott government to support same-sex marriage, confirming he will move a marriage equality bill as soon as the Coalition agrees to a conscience vote.
Senator Leyonhjelm said on Monday that he would bring a private member's bill to the Parliament to redefine the Marriage Act, which currently defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
He said the bill would ''do what is right for people, our friends, our families, our workmates and thousands of people we represent in Parliament''.
''I ask you to understand that the liberties you care about should be available to everybody, and that there is no place in Australia for second-class citizens,'' Senator Leyonhjelm told reporters in Canberra.
''Today, whatever your political affiliations, the Liberal Democrats are asking all of the closet libertarians in Parliament to come out of the closet.''
He exhorted Labor leader Bill Shorten and Prime Minister Tony Abbott to support his bid to give same-sex couples marriage rights.
''Today, I challenge Mr Shorten and Labor Party members to look Senator [Penny] Wong in the eye and tell her she does not deserve equal rights. Today, I challenge Mr Abbott and Liberal Party members to do the same with Mr Abbott's sister,'' he said.
Labor's leader in the Senate, Penny Wong and Mr Abbott's sister, Christine Forster, a City of Sydney Liberal Party councillor, are both openly gay, with Ms Forster recently becoming engaged to her long-time partner.
Labor Party MPs are permitted a conscience vote on same-sex marriage, but the Coalition is opposed to same-sex marriage and yet to grant its MPs a conscience vote, meaning any bill is unlikely to pass the Parliament.
Senator Leyonhjelm said the time had come for a change in the Liberal Party's platform, when many of its MPs were ''small 'L' liberals at heart''.
He added that it was his understanding that there was support within the Coalition for a conscience vote, including from Mr Abbott himself.
Last year, when the federal government won a High Court challenge to same-sex marriage laws in the ACT, Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull said it was likely MPs would be granted a conscience vote if a marriage bill came to the Federal Parliament.
''The intention is not to bring it on until I'm confident there will be a conscience vote,'' Senator Leyonhjelm said.
''I will only bring it on in the absence of a conscience vote by the Liberals, if it's clear I'm not going to win them over and get them to agree to it.
''Why would they agree to a conscience vote?
''To begin with, many in the Liberal Party are small 'L' liberals at heart, libertarian inclined. There is quite a lot of support in the Liberal Party.''
Senator Leyonhjelm said his bill would propose a ''moderate'' deregulation of the marriage act, by redefining who was allowed to marry to include same-sex couples and ensuring that religious and civil marriage celebrants could officiate in same-sex marriage ceremonies if they wished to.
He reminded Mr Abbott that he would not be ''fobbed off'' as a member of the new Senate crossbench, which for the past week has frustrated the government's efforts to repeal the carbon tax.
He said he could stake his support for other government policies, such as temporary protection visas, on the government's willingness to allow a conscience vote on same-sex marriage.
