Moderate cabinet minister Simon Birmingham has slapped down conservative colleague Peter Dutton after he told company bosses to butt out of the debate on same-sex marriage.
And Labor leader Bill Shorten has accused right-wing government MPs of bullying Malcolm Turnbull over the matter and not letting the prime minister act how he wants.
Mr Dutton chastised business leaders for getting involved in the same-sex marriage debate, especially Alan Joyce, the gay boss of Qantas, telling him to "get back to his knitting".
His comments came after the CEOs of 30 of Australia's largest companies, including Telstra, Qantas, Holden, Wesfarmers and the Commonwealth Bank, urged the government to take action on gay marriage.
Senator Birmingham said business often led the way on social reforms.
"Throughout history business leaders have often stepped ahead of legislators in support of reforms to gender equity or racial equity," he told reporters in Adelaide on Sunday.
"I see no reason why business leaders are not free to do likewise when it comes to issues like marriage equality."
Mr Shorten said it was a bit much for Mr Dutton to accuse companies of bullying people over marriage equality.
"Mr Turnbull, I know, supports a vote in parliament on marriage equality but he just lacks the ticker to confront the bullies of the right wing of the Liberal Party," he told reporters in Sydney.
Cabinet colleague Matt Canavan - who opposes same-sex marriage - rejected the notion that anything other than parliament immediately allowing same-sex marriage would be bad for business.
"What I found a little uncomfortable this week with the position of the CEOs is there's almost a level of contempt for those that might have a different view," he told ABC TV.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce says no one has approached him about a reported plan for coalition MPs to present the prime minister with a letter urging the issue be put back on the agenda in the next fortnight.
Senator Birmingham said individual MPs were free to raise any issue and the government was "more than capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time".
Politicians travelling through Canberra Airport during the parliamentary fortnight will once again be greeted with billboards promoting marriage equality in a campaign the airport's managing director Stephen Byron said would remind them it was " a straightforward reform that allows every Australian the same opportunities in life".
