Liberal senator Dean Smith questions whether pain of plebiscite was necessary, five years on from marriage equality vote

Dean Smith, the first openly gay federal Liberal parliamentarian, has told The Canberra Times the party would likely opt for a conscience vote if given the chance today, saying "the greatness of the outcome is measured in the lack of controversy since".

Tuesday marks five years since an overwhelming majority of Australians backed marriage equality after a contentious public debate in 2017, which LGBTIQ+ advocates say made their community the target of unnecessary bigotry.

They're using the anniversary to warn the fight for equality goes on, urging governments to protect LGBTIQ+ Australians from discrimination at school, in the workplace, and via harmful conversion therapy practices.

Nearly 18,000 same-sex couples have tied the knot in Australia since marriage equality was enshrined in law.

Senator Smith introduced the bill to the upper house, saying the "pride and acceptance" felt by LGBTIQ+ Australians had been "greatly enhanced" by its passage.

He described the result's confirmation - over 60 per cent of Australians voted Yes - as "a moment of tremendous relief" which was never guaranteed, despite strong polling in favour.

"[But] the honest answer is that after five years, I'm not yet able to reconcile everything that occurred both publicly and privately," he said.

"When we reflect on how uncontroversial it's been since, was the pain that people were put under necessary?"

Managing divisions in his ranks, then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull opted for a postal vote plebiscite, the ensuing campaign quickly turning ugly amid a surge in abuse and public vandalism.

Senator Smith, a strident critic of the postal vote process, argued the Liberal Party would likely allow a conscience vote if given the same choice today.

"[Conscience vote are an] astute political circuit breaker. It costs the community nothing. It saves people from having to be, consciously or unconsciously, involved in at times unpleasant discussions," he said.

"Ultimately, every member of parliament is held accountable for their decision. Whereas the plebiscite, I think unfairly, holds neighbour against neighbour accountable."

Equality Australia will also mark the anniversary by launching a campaign, fronted by Olympian Ian Thorpe, urging politicians to protect LGBTIQ+ students and staff from discrimination.

The group is also pushing for a national ban on conversion therapy - outlawed in the ACT, Victoria, and Queensland - which human rights groups warn causes lasting emotional damage to its victims.

Chief executive Anna Brown described the anniversary as "bittersweet" for LGBTIQ+ Australians, both a "landmark moment" and a "reminder of the divisive and unnecessary public debate about our lives and families".

"That did very much take a toll in terms of distress and emotional turmoil. A legacy of trauma that our communities endured through that time [carries on]," she said.

The Coalition's attempts to pass its religious discrimination bill collapsed last year, after Liberal MPs broke ranks to protect transgender children in faith-based schools.

Ms Brown said May's election result was a "stunning rebuke" of the politics of division, even as the groups which lobbied against gay marriage "shift their focus to attacks" against transgender Australians.

"We have the opportunity to draw a line in the sand, and move forward to a new chapter of reform and support for LGBTIQ+ communities in this country," she said.

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Philippa Moss, chief executive of LGBTIQ+ community organisation Meridian, said marriage equality was just "one of the pieces of the puzzle" when it came to addressing discrimination.

"It was a fabulous result, a fantastic achievement. We definitely should celebrate it, but we should not forget the other enormous legislative reform that needs to occur," she said.

Last year, Meridian called for the ACT government to go further by expanding access to mental health services for LGBTIQ+, creating a LGBTIQ+ representative on its family violence advisory council, and tackling LGBTIQ+ homelessness.

The marriage equality debate had taken its toll on Canberra's LGBTIQ+ population, Ms Moss said, with demands for counselling surging.

"It was an extremely damaging time ... The other thing that was debated quite heavily was the conversion therapy stuff. That was another example of where our counselling services increased markedly," she said.