Australians face a wave of advertisements during the voting period of the same-sex marriage poll, with experts saying a minimum of $60 million would need to be spent by the parties to mount effective campaigns.



Survey forms will be sent out in early September and will be due back into the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on November 7, with the ABS committing to publishing the results on November 15.

Over that period, Australian TV screens are likely to be bombarded with advertising from the "yes" and the "no" sides.

The networks BuzzFeed News have spoken to say they will be accepting ads from all sides of the debate over the next few months, provided they meet the TV code of practice, and the Australian Association of National Advertisers code of ethics about not vilifying people on the basis of their race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual preference, religion, disability, mental illness or political belief.

"We will accept advertising from all parties," a spokesperson for Nine told BuzzFeed news in a statement. "They will be required to comply with the FreeTV industry Code of Practice and related codes."

"As a broadcaster we will offer the opportunity for both sides to be heard – subject to the content meeting the usual requirements relating to classification, vilification and political matter," a Network Ten spokesperson said.

“As with all advertising, the decision as to what is put to air ultimately rests with the broadcaster and we would ask advertisers to engage in a respectful debate."

One case of alleged "censorship" that opponents of same-sex marriage often highlight is that in 2015 a group headed up by a Toowoomba doctor, Dr David van Gend, attempted to get SBS to run an anti-marriage equality ad during the middle of the network's broadcast of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

SBS's reason for declining to air the ad was more to do with the fact that the organisation only wanted the ad aired in that slot in conflict with the Mardi Gras broadcast, but the refusal has still led to claims of censorship from opponents of marriage equality.