The Australian Greens believe same-sex marriage will be legal across the country by the end of the year.
The Greens on Tuesday will move to refer their 2010 bill supporting same-sex marriage to a Senate committee for investigation.
"I am absolutely optimistic that we have a very good chance by the end of this year to be able to look back and say, `We did it'," Greens marriage equality spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young told reporters in Canberra.
"We were able to deliver in this place marriage equality."
The senator concedes there is still a long way to go before politicians in both houses of federal parliament agree to same-sex marriage but says a Senate inquiry into the bill will give the community the chance to convince undecided or opposed MPs to support gay marriage.
"We know that there are some people who still don't understand or don't agree with the idea of removing this type of discrimination," Senator Hanson-Young said.
An inquiry would ensure that the community had the opportunity to convince parliamentarians why love should be allowed to reign and equal love to pass parliament.
Australian Marriage Equality national convenor Alex Greenwich said he had gained the support of about 40 Labor MPs to back the gay marriage bill.
"Momentum continues to grow and that momentum will continue to grow throughout this Senate inquiry process," he said.
Labor's national conference in December endorsed changing the definition of marriage to allow same-sex unions.
But it also voted in favour of allowing MPs a conscience vote on the issue if it came to parliament.
That leaves any bill vulnerable to being voted down by conservative Labor politicians and the coalition.
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