Canberra, Australia (CNN) Australia's Parliament voted to legalize same-sex marriage Thursday after years of political jockeying and fierce public debate. Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott -- considered the face of the campaign to reject same-sex marriage -- discusses amendments to the marriage equality bill at Parliament House on Thursday. JUST WATCHED Same-sex debate leads to marriage proposal Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Same-sex debate leads to marriage proposal 00:50The next day, Liberal MP Andrew Wallace, who is a devout Catholic, shared with his colleagues how his gay daughter helped change his position on same-sex marriage. In the end, 61.6% of Australia voted in favor of allowing same-sex marriage, with 38.4% saying "no." Australians have long been in favor of same-sex marriage, with polling from as long as 10 years ago showing majority support for legalizing marriage equality.

Source: CNN December 07, 2017 07:00 UTC