Federal opposition spokesman on families Kevin Andrews has warned that legalising same-sex marriage could lead to an acceptance of group marriage.

In his book Maybe 'I do': Modern marriage and the pursuit of happiness, out today, Mr Andrews also says that the assertion that redefining marriage will not affect other marriages is misplaced.

He writes that if same-sex unions are recognised by civil law, ''other arrangements can also be recognised. Once the state can no longer insist that marriage involves a commitment to a member of the opposite sex, there is no ground (other than superstition) for insisting that marriage be limited to one person rather than several.''

Mr Andrews' comments come after Parliament rejected two bills to legalise gay marriage and the issue caused trouble for Tony Abbott, who forced parliamentary secretary Cory Bernardi to resign over comments he made in the Senate suggesting gay marriage could be a slippery slope to accepting bestiality. Senator Bernardi also said the next step from having gay marriage was three or four people being able to enter a permanent union.

Liberal senator Cory Bernardi has been forced to resign as shadow parliamentary secretary to Tony Abbott following his remarks linking gay marriage to bestiality.

The Opposition Leader said Senator Bernardi had made “one mistake too many”.

In his place, Mr Abbott appointed Senator Arthur Sinodinos as his parliamentary secretary. He also appointed South Australian MP Jamie Briggs as shadow parliamentary secretary to families spokesman Kevin Andrews.

Mr Abbott said Senator Bernardi had made “ill-disciplined remarks” to the Senate, and had compounded the offence by repeating them on morning radio.

He said they'd had a “forthright” discussion during which Senator Bernardi had offered his resignation.

“I swiftly concluded that was one mistake too many,” Mr Abbott said.

“I've known Cory for a long time. He's a decent bloke with strong opinions. But discipline is critical. Team play is vital. And that's what Cory has had some problems with. And that's why I thought it was very important to act quickly and decisively as I have.”

Mr Abbott said the Coalition did not support gay marriage but he would not tolerate remarks which were offensive to people in same-sex relationships.

Thursday 29th November 2012

Melbourne Exhibition & Convention Centre

AUSTRALIA'S ADULT INDUSTRY AWARDS

• DOWNLOAD EROS SHINE AWARDS FLYER

You're invited to rub shoulders with the cream of the Adult Industry

Hosted and performances by Miss Nude Australia 2012 Cassandra Jane, Sina King - Miss Burlesque Australia 2011, Penthouse Pet - Nikita Sage, Suzie Q & Toby Australia's Got Talent plus international guest, the infamous Ron Jeremy

Everyone welcome - purchase your tickets ONLINE now.

Special table available where you can sit with your own adult industry star!

Nominate and vote online for your favourite industry industry star or business.

PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE NOW     www.erosshineawards.org.au

Both Houses of Parliament are set to defeat attempts to legalise gay marriage this week but advocates, including the cabinet minister Penny Wong, believe it is only a matter of time before Parliament catches up with the majority of public opinion.

The Senate is due to vote today on a private members' bill legalising gay marriage, while the House of Representatives, which has been debating the same bill for months, is due to vote either today or tomorrow.

It was decided to bring forward the lower house vote following pressure, mainly from the right faction, that the issue was dragging on, was becoming a damaging distraction and the bill was going to be defeated anyway.

The Prime Minster, Julia Gillard, has granted Labor MPs a conscience vote but the Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, has bound all Coalition MPs to vote against it.

As debate was set to resume in the Senate last night, the Liberal senator Sue Boyce planned to defy Mr Abbott by speaking in favour of the bill and did not rule out crossing the floor.

Gay sex is more likely to offend standards of morality and decency than men having sex with donkeys, as far as Australia's censors are concerned.

A film depicting sex acts between men and donkeys was screened at a Sydney film festival last week after an exemption from classification was granted to the festival by the Classification Board.

The federal government agency responsible for classifying films, the Classification Board, did not ask to view Donkey Love before granting permission for it to screen at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival and Sydney Underground Film Festival.

No film can be publicly screened in Australia without first being rated by the Classification Board, which may refuse a classification if it offends standards of morality and decency.

However, it may permit a festival to screen films that have not been rated.

In contrast, the Classification Board banned L.A. Zombie, which features a zombie character having homosexual sex with dead bodies, from being screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2010.

Gay marriage campaigners were celebrating last night after Tasmania's lower house became the first chamber of an Australian parliament to pass a bill to legalise same-sex marriage.

The bill, co-sponsored by Labor Premier Lara Giddings and Greens leader Nick McKim, passed by 13 votes to 11.

Labor MPs had a free vote on the bill. All but one, Michael Polley, voted with Green MPs in support of the bill.

The house's 10 Liberal members were bound by the party's position to vote against the bill.

Tasmania was the last Australian state to decriminalise homosexuality. Until 1997, it was a criminal offence punishable by up to 25 years' jail.

Veteran gay activist Rodney Croome, who spearheaded the campaign for gay law reform in the state in the 1990s, said the passage of the bill would ''banish forever Tasmania's reputation for homophobia''.

But the bill's passage through the state's upper house is far from certain. Of its 15 members, 13 are independent. The upper house will consider the bill when Parliament returns in three weeks.