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Shorten push for gay unions

Opposition leader Bill Shorten. Picture: Getty

A parliamentary vote to legalise gay marriage could come within weeks, with Labor leader Bill Shorten to introduce a private member's Bill on Monday.

The move is likely to force some Government MPs to press Tony Abbott to relent and allow a conscience vote on the issue.

Mr Shorten's move was announced less than two hours after senior Labor Left figure Anthony Albanese sought to end an internal fight and stop his faction's push to bind all Opposition MPs to vote in favour of change.

The campaign to legalise gay marriage gathered momentum at the weekend after Ireland became the first country to support same-sex marriage via a vote.

Mr Shorten said the time had "well and truly come" for Parliament to debate marriage equality.

"Our current law excludes some individuals and to me, that is unacceptable," he said.

It said to them their relationships were not equal and their love was less under the law.

Mr Shorten said his Bill would not get universal support from colleagues and would challenge deeply held beliefs of MPs from both sides of politics.

"This is why Labor members have the freedom to vote their conscience - a freedom Tony Abbott is denying his party," he said.

"For marriage equality to happen, Tony Abbott has to give his MPs a free vote."

Mr Shorten's Bill was seconded by his deputy Tanya Plibersek.

The Government formally opposes gay marriage but the Prime Minister promised the Liberal party room would discuss allowing its members a conscience vote in Parliament.

Mr Shorten's Bill is one of three on gay marriage. Crossbencher David Leyonhjelm has one and Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said yesterday she wanted her private member's Bill debated from June 18, with a vote on November 12.

Ms Plibersek wants Labor's national conference in July to bind all Labor MPs to vote in favour of gay marriage, irrespective of their religious beliefs.

That angered Right faction MPs and some could cross the floor and be expelled from the party if given no choice.

Same-sex marriage advocates are also concerned Ms Plibersek's push has set back efforts to bring the coalition around to at least allow a conscience vote.

Mr Albanese said he had consistently argued coalition MPs should have a conscience vote and it was inconsistent to argue something different for Labor.

If the coalition allowed a conscience vote, he was confident gay marriage would be legalised.