Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop has strongly hinted she personally supports same-sex marriage but says she wants stronger reassurances about how change would affect religious institutions.
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Ms Bishop has until now kept her personal views on gay marriage closely guarded and her support for the principle of the reform means Scott Morrison is the only potential leadership contender who opposes allowing gay couples to marry.
"Philosophically I'm a very liberal minded person but I'm yet to see the detail of changes to the Marriage Act that would satisfy me that we should vote for it and I've been asking for this for some time," the Foreign Minister told journalists on Thursday.
Ms Bishop said the cross-party marriage equality bill, introduced into the Parliament this week, did not answer her concerns about the impact of same-sex marriage on religious groups.
"I saw it and it doesn't answer the level of questions that I have about it, I'm a former lawyer and I'm a legislator, I take that role very seriously," she said.
"I personally believe that the Australian people should have a say on this," she added.
The federal government is divided on whether or not to hold a referendum or a plebiscite, and when. Prime Minister Tony Abbott says the public vote will take place after the next election, which is scheduled for late 2016. But cabinet minister Malcolm Turnbull, also a potential leadership contender, wants a vote before the next election so it does not derail the government's economic message heading into the campaign.
Conservatives, including Mr Morrison are backing a referendum, which involves changing the constitution. Referendums require a double majority – a majority of voters and a majority of states - to be successful and historically fail more than they succeed. Moderate Liberals who support gay marriage believe their conservative colleagues are pushing a referendum because it has a higher likelihood of failure.
Mr Abbott says a decision on the timing and detail of public vote will be made soon. But it is likely to take at least one more week given there is no cabinet meeting scheduled for next week with the Prime Minister scheduled to spend a week in the Torres Strait focussing on Indigenous issues.
Questions about his leadership have restarted following last week's six-hour party room meeting to debate gay marriage. In that meeting, two-thirds of government MPs voted against allowing MPs a free vote which allow them to vote on the issue according to their conscience.
