Marriage equality gets Tas support

Tasmania's lower house has become the third state parliament to show support for same-sex marriage.

Late on Wednesday a majority, 15 votes, of the House of Assembly backed a Greens party motion for in-principle support for marriage equality.

Liberal premier Will Hodgman and deputy Jeremy Rockliff were among the government MPs who voted in favour of the motion at the end of a three-hour debate.

Labor leader Bryan Green and a majority of his lower house party colleagues also voted "yes", along with all three Greens MPs.

Parliaments in NSW and Western Australia had previously backed calls for the legal recognition of same-sex marriage.