As the last attorney-general of the Howard government,Philip Ruddock introduced the 2004 amendment to the Marriage Act that explicitly defined it as a union between a man and a woman.

As the last attorney-general of the Howard government,Philip Ruddock introduced the 2004 amendment to the Marriage Act that explicitly defined it as a union between a man and a woman.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Debate over the raft of proposed amendments has risked derailing the government's plans to legislate the change by the end of 2017.

Mr Ruddock,who retired from Parliament in 2016 and was recently elected as mayor of Hornsby,will conduct the review with an expert panel consisting of the president of the Australian Human Rights Commission Rosalind Croucher,retired federal court judge Annabelle Bennett and Jesuit priest Frank Brennan.

The Prime Minister said the review,which will report back by March 2018,would be a"timely expert stocktake"to inform any future legislation.

Treasurer Scott Morrison,a vocal advocate for religious exemptions,said he was pleased with the review and emphasised it was"not a substitute"for relevant amendments to the same-sex marriage bill.

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"Those amendments ... will still be pursued and,as you know,I have a view that they should be supported,"Mr Morrison told ABC radio.

As the last attorney-general of the Howard government,Mr Ruddock introduced the 2004 amendment to the Marriage Act that explicitly defined it as a union between a man and a woman.

He was recently the government's special envoy for human rights and has strong connections to Australia's multicultural and religious communities.

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