'Here we go again’ – Senior figures in Ireland’s marriage referendum help lead campaign for equality in Australia

Two Irishmen who helped win the yes vote in 2015's marriage equality referendum are doing their best for a similar result in Australia's upcoming plebiscite on same-sex marriage.

Donegal native Tiernan Brady has been working from Sydney since April 2016 as Director of Australia's Equality Campaign, having previously acted as Political Director during Ireland's referendum.

He was originally brought to Australia in January 2015 to spend a few days speaking to advocacy groups, but was asked to front the campaign a few days into his trip, which came as a surprise to Tiernan.

"It was a big enough journey for me moving from Bundoran to Dublin," he told Independent.ie.

"It was a wonderful opportunity to be asked and we've since build up a really good campaign team made up of some incredible people."

Despite the obvious similarities, Australia's plebiscite is more complicated that Ireland's refenrendum. While voting is usually mandatory in Australia, the public will have their say in an optional postal survey, which should be sent out to 16 million people in homes across the country in the next few weeks.

Campaign groups for and against marriage equality are currently embroiled on what's expected to be a more bitterly-fought movement than Ireland faced two years ago.

If all goes to plan, the results should be in by mid-November and, similarly to Ireland's Citizens' Assembly, this will allow the Australian Parliament to act accordingly. Unlike Ireland's Citizens' Assembly, the Parliament will have to deal with the issue straight away. This whole process is estimated to cost around €84 million ($125 million AUS).

Despite all this being put in place, the whole thing is currently before the High Court to find out if the process is legally standing.

Although this process is drawn-out and complicated, Tiernan believes it is a winable.

"Every poll for more than 10 years has shown support for this in Australia," said Tiernan, who formerly worked with now defunct charity GLEN.

"It’s pretty evenly spread, but there’s some small variation. Obviously there was a heavy yes in urban areas and still a yes in rural areas, more or less the same as Ireland actually.

"Australia is just so large. It's a five hour flight from Sydney to Perth. The geographical scale is the main difference. In Ireland, we could get up in the morning and drive to the other side of the county, have lunch and be home again later. We don’t have that here."

Although scale is a big issue, Tiernan, a Leukaemia survivor, says there are way more similarities than differences in the two massive campaigns.

"Like Ireland, here’s a real ‘live and let live’ attitude in Australia and a real commitment to fairness. I find the values that people have here so much like Ireland."

In recent days, Tiernan has enlisted the help of Yes Equality's Social Media Officer Craig Dwyer, who ran the campaign's very successful and engaging social channells.

Dwyer, who is campaigning in Australia on a voluntary capacity, only landed on Sunday, but has already begun work.

"I was watching the campaign closely from my office on Capel Street in Dublin, feeling a certain sense of nostaglia and desperately wanting to be involved so I jumped at the chance," he said.

"I got the call at 3am on Tuesday and was on the plane to Sydney by Friday night and in the campaign offices that Monday morning."

"It's like we put the band partly back together. More of a duet than a band," Tiernan said.

"Craig’s brilliant. I’ve asked him to come over and volunteer. He’s taken to it like a duck to water."

The next few weeks are going to be critical for Australia's marriage equality campaign and global commentators predict the campaign to only get more bitter.

Over the weekend, the first major 'vote no' advertisement aired on Australian television and has been accused of scaremongering. Posters with 'Stop The Fags' have materialised in major urban areas have also caused anger amongst the LGBT community and its allies.

 Although this campaign is facing hostility it didn't in Ireland, Tiernan is not sorry he decided to put himself through another gruelling campaign.

"It’s the right thing to do. The great thing about coming from Ireland is we know what the other side of this looks like. It would be fabulous if we could get another country get through this."

Brady also urged people who know Australians living in Ireland to encourage them to vote. This should be a respectful campaign that unites the country because everyone has to live here the day afterwards.

"Give them a call and tell them how important it is and how great it felt for us. 

"Let’s get this across the line."