Australia's only openly gay political leader says it would be "plain bigotry" for the federal government to overturn ACT laws recognising same-sex civil unions.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on Sunday the government had not ruled out vetoing the laws, which the ACT Legislative Assembly passed earlier in November.
Asked about that comment, Australian Greens leader Bob Brown said the ACT legislature's democratic decision needed to be respected.
"It would be plain bigotry for Kevin Rudd to overturn the laws and an interference ... an arrogant override of the territory's elected representatives," he told reporters in Canberra.
"The majority of Australians want there to be no discrimination against same-sex couples in the area of law."
Senator Brown also took aim at the Australian Christian Lobby, which has lobbied the government to oppose gay marriage.
"They're in the realm of bigotry and they have a disproportionate influence on folk in this place (parliament) and that includes in the past the Labor Party," he said.
The Howard and Rudd governments stymied two previous attempts by the ACT to bring in gay equality laws.
The possibility of blocking them a third time was still being considered, Mr Rudd said.
"We'll just see what the legal advice says in terms of what can be done here in the ACT," he told reporters.
"I don't know the outcome of that yet."
His comments came as the federal government faced increasing pressure to rethink its approach on gay marriage.
The Victorian ALP moved a motion at its annual conference on Saturday urging Mr Rudd to amend the Marriage Act and grant same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexuals.
The report from a Senate committee inquiry into a private bill aimed at equal marriage rights is due on Thursday.
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