Proud to show how she voted, the Dubbo resident is “very happy to hear that so many Australians” have completed and returned their forms.

The ABS posted 16 million forms in September with recipients urged to mail them back by October 27.

It is now providing weekly estimates of the total number of forms received to “help promote awareness of the survey”. 

The estimated 9.2 million forms returned represent 57.5 per cent of the 16 million distributed.

The estimate is based on bulk containers of returned forms and not individual counting of them.

Organisations campaigning for “yes” and “no” votes have welcomed the ABS estimate.

The Equality Campaign’s co-chair Anna Brown considers the estimated 9.2 million forms returned to be an “incredibly promising result”.

But she and other “yes” campaigners are concerned that younger voters were not getting around to returning their completed forms.

Australian Christian Lobby managing director Lyle Shelton said he was encouraged by the “high numbers of Australians choosing to have their say”.

He said the Coalition for Marriage would work “tirelessly” until the survey closed on November 7.

“Half of the country is yet to make up its mind,” he said.

“This conversation is still wide open.”

A “yes” voter and member of Dubbo’s gay community, Ms Stevens is pleased that the forms are being returned.

But she continues to disapprove of the way the federal government is seeking to resolve the same-sex marriage row.

“I still struggle to come to terms with the fact that we are actually being forced, by the conservative right of the Coalition government, to go through this whole process,” she said.

“I believe that most of us recognise that this is about the civil rights of a group of Australians that have suffered discrimination and vilification for far too long.”

Ms Stevens said there was much discussion in the lead-up to the National Rugby League (NRL) grand final “about how politics should be kept out of sport”.  “I feel religion should be kept out of politics,” she said.

Ms Stevens said she was looking forward to November 15 when the survey result would be announced by the ABS. “I hope we can put this long and sorry saga behind us and move forward in this country with full equality for all Australians,” she said.

“And for all those who say they are sick to death of hearing about it, let me assure you the LGBTIQA community is too.  “… the only way to put an end to the discussion is to vote yes now that you have been given the opportunity to do so.”

Requests for replacement forms will be accepted until October 20.

For more information visit marriagesurvey.abs.gov.au or call 1800 572 113.