Attorney-General George Brandis will meet with his Labor counterpart Mark Dreyfuss in Brisbane to try to break a deadlock on same-sex marriage.
Ahead of today's meeting, Senator Brandis warned that if an agreement wasn't reached over the controversial plebiscite, gay couples could have to wait until the 2020s before legislation was changed to allow them to marry.
"If, like me, you favour reform to the Marriage Act to allow same-sex couples to marry then this is now the only feasible path to that outcome for many years to come," Senator Brandis told Fairfax Media.
Labor caucus is yet to formally decide its position on a plebiscite but Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is expected to recommend opposing it.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull earlier this month introduced the legislation for the February 11 plebiscite to parliament.
Voters will be asked: "Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?"
Meanwhile, new research suggests just one electorate, Maranoa in rural Queensland, had a majority of voters opposed to same-sex marriage while four others might oppose the change in a plebiscite scenario.
Every rural and regional electorate in the country has below-average backing for change, while support is above average in inner-city seats of every capital city, the Melbourne University research showed, according to Fairfax.
Gay NSW MP Alex Greenwich insists the matter can be resolved through a free vote in parliament.
It was incumbent on all supporters of marriage equality in federal parliament to get the matter resolved.
The only person gay people should have to ask permission of to marry is the person they want to marry, "not millions of Australians" he told ABC radio.
