THE High Court of Australia has approved the same-sex marriage postal survey.
The full bench of the High Court handed down its decision in Melbourne at 12.15pm Perth time.
The decision means the Turnbull government will not have to come up with a Plan C on same-sex marriage, having decided on a voluntary survey after the Senate blocked the compulsory plebiscite promised by the coalition at the 2016 election.
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READ NOWTwo groups of same-sex marriage advocates were trying to stop the postal survey, arguing the Government should not have bypassed Parliament in funding it.
The government found the $122 million by using laws to make an advance payment to the finance minister in circumstances where there is an urgent need for spending and the situation was unforeseen.
The challengers argued the spending was neither urgent nor unforeseen, two key requirements for advancing money from the pool of funds that can be used without parliamentary approval.
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