The Labor backbencher yesterday told The Standard he had consulted widely within his electorate with voters but no longer claimed an altered Marriage Act had majority support within the community.

He said views within his electorate were roughly "50-50" with a split in the opposition camp between those who supported gay civil unions and others who rejected any reform outright.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has indicated she is in favour of retaining the Marriage Act in its present form, at odds with state ALP leaders such as Victorian Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews and his NSW equivalent John Robertson.

Political pundits have suggested the issue will come to the fore at the ALP's federal conference in December.

"I'm not rushing to judgement on the matter," Mr Cheeseman said. "I've received an enormous amount of correspondence from the community with people on both sides of the debate presenting their cases strongly.

"We haven't sat down and worked out weighed out the response yet but I would say it's roughly 50 per cent of people in support, and the other 50 per cent opposed split 25 per cent saying they support civil unions and the other 25 opposed completely."

The Labor MP told The Standard last year that "a majority of people in my electorate would support (gay marriage), but there would be pockets of people who wouldn't."

Mr Cheeseman's comments come at the same time Ballarat Labor MP Catherine King said she too was reconsidering her position on the issue.