Australia has officially become the 26th country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage after an almost unanimous decision to allow two people, regardless of sex, to marry.
The long-awaited bill was passed this afternoon with the backing of the Federal Parliament.
This follows a nationwide survey that took place last month where Australians voted on whether they wanted same-sex marriage. Sixteen million Australian voters were eligible to vote and 12.7 million participated.
This is a significant moment in the history of Australian politics, as in 2004 the law was changed to say that marriage was solely between a man and a woman.
Thousands of same-sex couples have had to leave Australia to get married. Their marriages will now be recognised automatically when the bill gets royal assent from the governor general later this month.
New Zealand legalised same-sex marriage four years ago. At the time, New Zealand was the 13th country in the world to do so.
The bill will commence in the new year, soon followed by the 28-day notice period to marry.