A new poll has shown increased support for marriage equality since the Australian Parliament amended the Marriage Act to allow same-gender couples to wed late last year.

The Essential Poll shows an increase in support from 61% to 65%, while opposition to same-gender marriage has dropped from 32% to 26% overall. The poll also recorded higher support from women, and people between the ages of 18 and 34.

just.equal spokesperson and veteran LGBTI advocate Rodney Croome has welcomed the new data.

“Support for marriage equality is up because Australians have finally seen with their own eyes that the one and only outcome is a more equal and inclusive nation where loving, committed same-sex couples can tie the knot in front of family of friends,” Croome said.

“Dire predictions about the sky falling in have not come to pass because they were based on fear, not fact.”

Croome added that polls from Essential, Galaxy, Newspoll and Crosby/Textor have shown majority support for marriage equality since 2006.

“If the Government had paid attention to the long history of polls showing majority support for marriage equality, rather than waste a hundred million dollars on an unnecessary, damaging postal survey, we could have had marriage equality much sooner.”