CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia's Parliament has started debating a bill that could legalize gay marriage across the country, with one lawmaker taking the opportunity to propose to his gay partner.

The House of Representatives resumed on Monday for its final two-week session of the year which is giving priority to achieving same-sex marriage reform. The major parties want the legislation passed this week after a majority of Australians endorsed reform in a postal ballot last month.

A lawmaker in the conservative coalition, Tim Wilson, was among the first lawmakers to join the debate and used his speech to propose to his partner Ryan Bolger, who was watching from the public gallery. The 33-year-old primary school teacher accepted.