Australia's Prime Minister vows to protect religious freedom amid poll on legalization of same-sex marriage

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said that religious freedom will be protected in the country regardless of the outcome of the postal survey on the legalization of same-sex marriage.

Turnbull, a strong supporter of gay marriage, defended the right of a church to refuse to marry a young couple who had expressed their support for same-sex unions. According to Reuters, the young couple in their 20s were told that they would not be able to hold their wedding ceremony at a Presbyterian church in the southern state of Victoria after the bride posted a Facebook message supporting same-sex marriage.

"Churches are free to marry whoever they like," Turnbull said at a press conference in Canberra on Friday. "As strongly as I believe in the right of same-sex couples to marry ... Religious freedom is fundamental and it will be protected in any bill that emerges from this Parliament," he added.

The postal survey on the legalization of same-sex marriage, which runs until the end of October, is non-binding, but it will inform the Australian Parliament on whether such unions should be legalized in the country.

Turnbull said that if the survey resulted in a majority "no" vote, gay marriage will be discarded as an election issue.

He said that there were two bills outlining religious protections in case the survey yields a "yes" vote. Marriage celebrants, for example, would be allowed to opt out of marrying same-sex couples.

"Overwhelmingly Australians are sensible, respectful people. This is a very important social issue and we're giving everyone a say," the prime minister said.

"The protection of religious freedoms is set out in that exposure draft. People will have different views. It is a matter for Parliament then to legislate. I'm very confident that the bill for same-sex marriage will be legalised, and then you will then see the focus on the Parliament being on the detail and it will then turn around," he added.

A recent Ipsos/Fairfax poll has shown that there is 70 percent public support for same-sex marriage. While some churches have encouraged congregants to vote against the legalization of such unions, other churches have taken a neutral stance.

The Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Australia's largest city, has called on Catholic school principals in the city to oppose the vote, but the Bishop of Parramatta, Vincent Long Van Nguyen, told his parishioners in a letter that the vote was a matter of individual conscience.

According to The New Daily, the ballots will be due back on Oct. 27, and the result will be announced on Nov. 15.