New Zealand has become the first country in the Asia Pacific region to legalise same-sex marriage.
Members of Parliament voted 77 in favour to 44 against amending the country's Marriage Act.
Gay marriage advocates anticipate hundreds of same-sex couples will now travel to New Zealand to get married.
Hannah Sinclair reports.
"The ayes are 77, the nos are 44." (cheering, applause fade under script)
The vote was greeted with rapturous applause from packed public galleries in the New Zealand parliament.
Then, a spontaneous rendition of a well-known Kiwi love song.
(Singing....fade under script.)
Matrimony in that country is now described as a union of two people regardless of their gender, sexuality or whether they identify as a man or a woman.
New Zealand is the world's 13th country to legalise gay marriage and the first in the Asia-Pacific.
The successful vote comes after a decades-long campaign for marriage equality in New Zealand.
Opposition Labour MP, Louisa Wall, who sponsored the bill, told members of Parliament it was a proud moment.
"Nothing could make me more proud to be a New Zealander than passing this bill. I thank my colleagues for simply doing what's fair, just and right."
New Zealand decriminalised homosexuality in 1986 and has allowed same-sex civil unions since 2005.
During the final debate of the bill, Opposition Deputy Leader Grant Robertson said legalising gay marriage would make New Zealand a better country.
"Many supporters of the bill have stressed that in the end this bill is about love. And that's not a topic politicians get to talk about very often. Former Labour Prime Minister Norman Kirk used to say that New Zealanders wanted a job, a place to live, someone to love and something to hope for. Well, we can't guarantee you someone to love. But I think we're putting the right incentives in place."
Prime Minister Julia Gillard says her government has no plans to adopt same-sex marriage legislation, despite the developments in New Zealand.
At a community cabinet meeting in Melbourne, Ms Gillard said she supports Australia's current marriage laws, while recognising the right for Labor MPs to vote according to their conscience.
"What we have done is as a political party, we've decided that people can exercise their own views and their own conscience when this matter comes before the parliament, which it relatively recently did and I'm sure it will again in the future."
The Liberal Party is not allowing its members a conscience vote on the issue of same-sex marriage.
Opposition leader Tony Abbott says the federal parliament has already decided that gay marriage will not be allowable in Australia.
Mr Abbott says the issue is unlikely to come up again before the election but it is possible that it could be reconsidered later.
"We had a parliamentary vote on this just a few months ago and it was a fairly decisive rejection. Now that was what this parliament has done. Who knows whether this might come up again. If it does it will be a matter for future parliaments to deal with but my own position on that particular question is pretty well known."
Hundreds of Australian same-sex couples are now expected to travel to New Zealand to get married.
While the short plane ride might make it easier for couples, legal barriers still exist.
Lawyer Paul Doolan says same-sex couples married in New Zealand would not have their marriage recognised under Australian law.
Mr Doolan says complications could also arise when same-sex couples married in New Zealand try to divorce in Australia.
"Their marriage is recognised certainly under the laws of New Zealand, but they have the same issue here insofar as the Australian law is concerned, they are not recognised as married. If they were to separate, in terms of there being a breakdown of that marital-style relationship in Australia then they may still be able to bring a claim under the Family Law Act about parenting or financial issues on the basis of being in a de facto relationship. But they would not be recognised, at least under current law, as being married."
The Australian Greens intend to put forward legislation to parliament to recognise the marriages of same-sex couples who are married abroad.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has told the ABC the legislation will be put forward in the first week of Parliament in May.
"They arrive back at the international airport in Sydney in customs, and they have to leave their marriage at the door. We need to change that and there are two things that we can do. We should be accepting that marriage equality is a thing that we can legislate and move forward with here in Australia. But first and foremost given that now New Zealand, our closest cousin, has marriage equality, let's recognise legally overseas marriages here in Australia. And I'll be introducing a bill as soon as parliament goes back to do exactly that."
Same-sex marriage is legal in 12 other countries including Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and Uruguay.
Same-sex marriage is also allowed in nine U-S states, and in parts of Brazil and Mexico.
Australian Marriage Equality national convenor Rodney Croome says the changes to New Zealand's Marriage Act will be what he calls a game-changer for Australia.
Mr Croome says Australians who haven't yet supported same-sex marriage might be inclined to change their minds.
"The reform in New Zealand also sends a message to those Australians who are conflicted about this issue that reform isn't that hard to achieve and it doesn't have the dire consequences that many people fear. When this reform is bedded down in New Zealand, as it will be in the next few months and many thousands of couples begin to marry just three hours away by plane, Australians will see that the sky doesn't fall in, that this reform should come here as well."
