Federal politicians are contemplating the thorny issue of same-sex marriage on Valentine's Day after gay rights advocates sent 3000 red roses to Parliament House.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard and opposition leader Tony Abbott received 500 roses each.
GetUp and Australian Marriage Equality (AME) were behind the floral blitz to highlight an ongoing campaign to legalise same-sex marriage, which became ALP policy last November.
Simon Sheikh from GetUp told reporters in Canberra activists were "testing their flower power".
"Roses represent love and respect as opposed to political point-scoring," he said.
AME spokesman Alex Greenwich said the pressure was on coalition MPs to get on board and listen to community support for the reform.
"This is a message that is not an extreme radical agenda," he said.
"This is about love and people."
Mr Greenwich said Mr Abbott "was a human being with human emotions and he knows lots of gay and lesbian people".
"There will be support in his circle for this," Mr Greenwich said.
The colourful stunt comes a day after two separate bills to legalise same-sex marriage legal were introduced in federal parliament - the first by Australian Greens lower house MP Adam Bandt and independent Andrew Wilkie and the second by Labor's Stephen Jones.
Mr Wilkie said the current description in the Marriage Act, which says marriage is a union between a man and a woman, was "legislated discrimination".
"This is not a threat to the churches, this is a legal matter," he told reporters.
He urged the Liberal Party to allow its MPs a conscience vote on the issue when the legislation comes before them, as Labor MPs already have.
Labor senator Louise Pratt told reporters couples all around Australia were sharing their love on Tuesday.
"It doesn't matter if those couples are straight or gay, young or old, what matters is the true love they exchange," she said.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the majority of Australians supported marriage equality.
"Let's commit to getting this done," she said.
The bills aim for the same result but differ in their wording, with the Greens one appearing slightly more sensitive in language - it adds the word "equality" - against Mr Jones' more straightforward legislation.
The lower house on Monday also began debating a motion from Mr Wilkie that asks politicians to ensure any amendments to the Marriage Act to broaden the definition of marriage to mean "two people" from a man and a woman, did not force churches to marry same-sex couples.
The US state of Washington has become the seventh American jurisdiction to legalise same-sex marriage.
Governor Christine Gregoire approved the change on Monday.
"I'm proud our same-sex couples will no longer be treated as separate but equal," she said to the applause of gay marriage supporters in Olympia.
Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont and the District of Columbia already allow same-sex marriage.
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