The lesbian sister of Australia's opposition leader Tony Abbott has condemned comments by Liberal senator Cory Bernardi about gay marriage.

This morning Bernardi reconfirmed his view that legalizing gay marriage will lead to calls for the right to mutli-person marriages and marriages between humans and animals.

Christine Forster, Sydney city councilor and the lesbian sister of Australia's opposition leader Tony Abbott is calling for the eviction of the Occupy Sydney protesters from the center of the city.

Occupy Sydney, part of the Occupy global movement against social injustice and corporate greed, has had a camp in Martin Place close to the Reserve Bank of Australia for over 18 months. It is only one of two remaining around-the-clock Occupy protests in the world (the other is in Hilo, Hawaii).

Australia's biggest gay marriage lobby group are backing former prime minister Kevin Rudd to takeover the leadership of the Labor party and the country, ousting Julia Gillard.

As campaigning for the general election on 14 September heats up, speculation is emerging about the long-running rivalry between Gillard and Rudd.

Christopher Pearson, columnist for The Australian and speech writer for Australia's conservative former Prime Minister John Howard, has died aged 61.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott paid tribute to Pearson saying he was one of Australia's 'finest conservative intellects' and a 'steadfast' friend.

'I valued Christopher's counsel and his wisdom,' Abbott said, Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Marriage equality advocates have called on Tony Abbott to allow a conscience vote on marriage equality after he declared yesterday that ‘democratic political leaders have got to be conscious of the mood of the people.’

Four out of five Australians want Members of Parliament (MPs) to be allowed to vote as they wish on the same-sex marriage bill and not according to party lines, says a new survey.

Ahead of a federal parliament vote on same-sex marriage, the special online poll, conducted by research company Roy Morgan, showed strong public support for federal reform to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry.

A Member of Parliament (MP) from Tony Abbott's socially conservative Liberal party in Australia has opened up about his support for same-sex marriage.

'I support the right of same-sex couples to have their loving and committed relationships recognized in state-sanctioned marriage,' said 23-year-old Wyatt Roy, parliament's youngest MP.

However Roy is currently barred from voting for same-sex marriage legislation because Abbott is not allowing opposition Liberal-National coalition MPs a conscience vote on the matter.

Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) has offended aboriginal rights groups and marriage equality advocates by saying gay marriage will create another 'stolen generation'.

In Australia, the 'stolen generations' were aboriginal children who were forcibly removed from their families to be brought-up under white 'Christian' values, where many were physically and sexually abused.

In a blog post, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, and leadership rival for current leader Julia Gillard, has declared his support for same-sex marriage.

Rudd, who is a current Australian Labor Party backbencher said: ‘I have come to the conclusion that church and state can have different positions and practices on the question of same sex marriage. I believe the secular Australian state should be able to recognize same sex marriage.’

Australian supporters of marriage equality have picketed the electorate office of Opposition leader Tony Abbott to mark the signing into law of same-sex marriage by French President Francois Hollande.

Over 120 people gathered today outside Abbott’s Manly electorate office to highlight the fact that Australia is increasingly out of step with its international peers, with same-sex marriage legislation passing in New Zealand last month and France becoming the 14th country to allow same-sex couples.

The Greens party in Australia are pushing for another vote on same-sex marriage before the general election in September.

Greens MP and deputy leader Adam Bandt is campaigning for his Marriage Equality Amendment Bill to be voted on in the House of Representative on 6 June.

Last September a similar bill was voted down by 98 MPs to 42 in the house.

Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has ruled out a free vote in the Australian Parliament on same-sex marriage before 2016 if he is elected Prime Minister and says that so few of his MPs would vote for it that it would not pass now.

'I don't think anyone should expect that this is necessarily going to come up in the next parliament,' Abbott told Fairfax newspapers.