ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr says he will lead the fight for marriage equality as Canberrans progress through two elections and a possible plebiscite.
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"If there is an overlap with the marriage equality plebiscite I will be taking a leading role locally and nationally," Mr Barr said on Monday.
"It will be an important opportunity for this community to express its very strong support for marriage equality."
Mr Barr warned voters of his opponents' extreme views, accusing the Canberra Liberals of being the most radically conservative branch in Australia.
"People who keep the company of [Liberal Senators] Cory Bernardi and Eric Abetz and [former Prime Minister] Tony Abbott – the far-right of the Liberal Party – that is the core of the Canberra Liberals," he said.
"We saw that in Zed Seselja's vote for Tony Abbott in the leadership challenge."
Mr Barr also expressed disappointment at alleged push polling by the Liberals in which they targeted 2517 homes and asked about voting intentions and the cost of the ACT government's light rail.
He said voters were smart enough not to fall for such tactics.
But Opposition leader Jeremy Hanson rejected the accusations of push-polling.
"The Canberra Liberals do not use underhanded tactics as we saw last weekend where it appears fake Medicare scare texts were sent to Australians," he said.
"I call on Andrew Barr and his affiliated unions to guarantee they won't use such deceitful tactics ahead of the ACT election."
On a more positive note, Mr Barr said the political uncertainty surrounding a possible hung parliament would favour the ACT economy.
"Every lobbyist, every industry association, everyone who wants to influence public policy will be making a beeline to this city so our business tourism is going to boom as a result in this period and certainly beyond," Mr Barr said.
Mr Barr was also focused on the upcoming ACT election in October, with priorities such as health, education, public transport, renewable energy and social inclusion.
Mr Hanson said he would fight for health, education and local services and against light rail.
However, his party was divided on the issue of marriage equality.
When asked about Mr Barr's comments on his party's extreme views, Mr Jeremy said the Liberals represented a diverse range of opinions held by the Canberra community.
He expressed support for a same-sex marriage plebiscite and said he would vote yes, but stressed the ACT could not go it alone and called for respectful debate.
In 2015, The Canberra Times reported that Mr Hanson said he had been somewhat conflicted on the issue in the past, but his views had evolved over time, from speaking with gay friends, family and the wider community.
At the same time, Liberal MLA Andrew Wall said he was opposed to legalising same-sex marriage and had significant concerns about opponents facing complaints of discrimination should they refuse to cater or host a same-sex wedding.
