Couple hope to tie the knot

When Leda couple Paul White and Chris Andrews joined more than 5000 supporters of Australian marriage equality at the Love is Love rally in Perth earlier this month, they had just one simple goal in mind - to share the same surname as their four-year-old twins.

Mr White said the pair had been together for 14 years and had not thought too much about marrying until they became fathers to Declan and Makayla. He said the twins, the biological children of Mr Andrews born with the help of an egg donor and surrogate in India, had completed their family and boosted their desire to legally marry.

"Ten years ago, public opinion was really divided, but I think more and more, people are supporting marriage equality," he said.

"It has become much more important to us since we had kids."

Mr Andrews said it was embarrassing Australia had not yet introduced marriage reform, particularly after high-profile changes to legislation in the US and Ireland this year.

He said the couple's children carried his surname and he hoped Mr White would be allowed to one day too.

"We aren't really worried about it until we can actually do it - it will happen one day so we are just waiting patiently," he said.

South Metropolitan MLC Lynn MacLaren, who was in the US when the country's Supreme Court legalised same-sex marriage on June 26, said Federal change was the best way forward for Australian marriage equality.

Ms MacLaren said there was no better time for change than now, and hoped the Federal multi-party same-sex marriage Bill, to be introduced to Parliament next month, would gather enough support.

"We are certainly putting in the strongest effort ever to achieve this reform," she said.

"If the Federal Bill fails, I will bring the debate to State Parliament in September."