Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says she has “absolutely no concerns” about same-sex marriage and thinks “the Australian people should have their say” via a plebiscite.

The Cabinet minister had previously kept her views private, declining to comment on her personal stance.

But she told Channel Ten’s The Project she supported the right for gay and lesbian couples to marry, as well as a proposal to hold a plebiscite on the issue.

• Entsch pushes PM on fresh same-sex vote
• National vote on gay marriage ‘could kill our kids’
• Anti-gay marriage clerk released from prison

“I have absolutely no concerns about it myself, but I know there a lot of people who are deeply concerned about the issue,” Ms Bishop said.

“That’s why I think a plebiscite, where the Australian people get to have a vote on it, on an issue as fundamental as this, that goes to the very composition of our community, the way we feel about each other, how we treat each other.

“I think the Australian people should have their say.”

She had previously hinted she supported the idea of same-sex marriage but had not expressed a firm view on the issue.

It follows a pledge by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to push ahead with a plebiscite on same-sex marriage after the next federal election.

The Federal Opposition said the issue should be resolved by Parliament instead, claiming a plebiscite would be expensive and could lead to the airing of extreme views from those against the proposal.

– ABC