But for many supporters of same-sex marriage, this was a cause for celebration.
While they want the law to change, they argued holding a non-binding plebiscite would be expensive, and risked unleashing homophobic rhetoric.
The government has accused the opposition of playing political games.
The Senate will still vote on whether to hold the plebiscite, but after the opposition Labor said they would not back it, it is doomed fail, and the issue is unlikely to be unresolved in this term of parliament.
"I think the plebiscite was one of the filthiest political blockages to equality ever considered by an Australian government," said Greg Turner.
The dual national, 56, married his partner Ryan, 61, at the British High Commission in Canberra in 2014, but their relationship is currently not recognised by the Australian government.
That would change if Australia's Marriage Act was amended to replace "a man and a woman" with "two people".
"I don't want to wait - and in our situation we're getting older," he said.
"But the sheer hate and the extreme views and horrific public statements made by some people, I'd hate to see that get worse."
