Mr Steepe has been asked by the city's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) community and the Orana branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) to speak with each and every one of the city's 11 councillors.

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The groups hope that the council can find a way to express support for same-sex marriage.

Mr Steepe has not been distracted from his duties by federal politicians who have grappled with the issue this week.

On Tuesday ALP Leader Bill Shorten announced that he would introduce a private member's bill aimed at amending the act to "establish marriage equality".

The bill would not compel "priests and particular religions" to solemnise same-sex marriage in their churches.

The federal government immediately countered with a plan for a cross-party bill that could be the impetus for the granting of a free vote to Coalition parliamentarians.

Mr Shorten's bill was announced within days of the non-compulsory referendum in Ireland that delivered a two-to-one vote in favour of marriage equality.

Mr Steepe, a proactive member of the Dubbo LGBTI community, welcomed the referendum result as he waited for seven of 11 councillors to get back to him.

The 20-year-old university student and mental health sector worker wants to tell them of broad support for reform of the 1961 Marriage Act.

"It's going to happen and they should support it to support the community," he told the Daily Liberal.

Marriage equality became a hot topic in Dubbo after mayor Mathew Dickerson's March declaration that it was "almost irrelevant" because not a single resident had raised the issue with him.

The mayor has remained steadfast in his view that same-sex marriage is a federal issue and Dubbo City Council should focus on issues it can control.

LGBTI community calls for the council to join a national and community-driven campaign aimed at influencing federal parliamentarians to reform the Marriage Act to include same-sex marriage have mostly fallen on deaf ears.

Everyday and high-profile Australians, corporations and local government councils are part of the campaign led by Australian Marriage Equality.

Local government participants close to Dubbo include the Blue Mountains City Council, and Coonamble and Lachlan shire councils.

As of Friday Mr Steepe had met separately with four Dubbo city councillors.

He spoke with two councillors before sending an email to the remaining nine on May 5 asking for some of their time.

It led to coffee shop talks with two more of the city's civic leaders.

The other seven are set to get a follow-up email from Mr Steepe who has been "encouraged" by his discussions with the four councillors, who he asked the Daily Liberal not to name.

Mr Steepe said one of the councillors told of his belief that marriage was between a man and a woman only, advice that the young man found "quite difficult to hear" because it perpetuated "prejudice".

"It shows there is much-needed work around raising awareness of same-sex relationships and in particular the LGBTI community," he said.

At the other end of the scale was a councillor who supported reform but considered the matter best left in the federal domain.

Mr Steepe agreed that legislative reform was the prerogative of the Federal Parliament, but argued that the community's elected representatives had a role to play in establishing and maintaining social harmony.

"As the closest level of government to the community, the councillors should represent views which I am trying to convey to them," he said.

"Council's business in my eyes and from what I have researched, is social inclusion for all members of the community.

"They do that in a variety of ways and I think this is one of the steps that they can take to promote social inclusion for the LGBTI community."

Mr Steepe has suggested that council could back the mooted reform if in no other way than by passing a motion.

"Coming out in support of marriage equality promotes the idea that they believe in equal rights for everybody and they promote social inclusion for absolutely everybody," he said.

Mr Steepe's advocacy is also endorsed by the LGBTI community's "straight allies", heterosexual men and women in Dubbo unable to understand why their friends are not legally able to marry someone of the same sex in Australia.

"Their support shows it is not just an LGBTI issue but a human rights issue," he said.

Mr Shorten intends to introduce his bill in the Federal Parliament on Monday.

BREAKOUT

COUNCILLOR Tina Reynolds expressed her willingness to debate a motion on marriage equality during Dubbo City Council's monthly meeting on Monday night.

She put her position on the "public record" at the meeting where Matt Parmeter addressed councillors on the Solar Energy Exchange Initiative.

Mr Parmeter asked the council to help secure $200 million from the federal government for it.

Cr Reynolds made reference to the project when referring to the efforts of marriage equality advocate Nicholas Steepe.

"Most councillors would probably have had phone calls and emails from a gentleman by the name of Nicholas who is lobbying councillors to support his move in same-sex marriage," she said.

"I want to put it on record tonight, I do not have an issue with this coming to council at all.

"I believe that there's been numerous issues come before this council that are not business of council, one of them is Playmates Cottage, another one here is what Matt was speaking about tonight.

"I just want to put it on public record that I would support his motion coming to council."