While much attention on Saturday had been focused on the landslide re-election of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern over the weekend, another election had also taken place in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), where Chief Minister Andrew Barr led Labor to victory as he was re-elected for his sixth consecutive term.
Thanking his followers and family following the win, Barr - Australia's first and only openly gay head of state or territory - also gave a sweet shoutout to his husband Anthony Toms, kissing him on live TV in an endearing and groundbreaking moment that had viewers swooning.
"Finally, my husband Anthony. You are my rock," Barr said in his victory speech.
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"My life is so much better since we got married... We met in this city. We've been together, nearly 21 years and are about to have our first wedding anniversary. Anthony, I love you."
He continued, "Our families make us, our families support us, and get us through. So thank you," adding, "To the broader Labor family, it is such an honour to lead this party in this territory."
Across social media, viewers expressed their appreciation for the pair's expression of love, with one Twitter user saying: "Great to see the scenes from last night with the NZ and ACT election - but was so heartwarming to see Andrew Barr with his husband alongside his child - never thought I would see an openly gay man in such a position when I was growing up."
Another added: "Actually had to check that I wasn't seeing a doctored photo. Yes, that is the winner of the ACT election Andrew Barr celebrating with his partner.
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"Makes me SO happy that the next gen will have these relationships normalised and visible."
Barr and Toms first met at Canberra's first SpringOut Gay and Lesbian Festival. They held a ceremony at the National Library in 2009 to celebrate their civil partnership.
Following the passing of national marriage equality laws and same-sex marriages being made legal in December 2017, the couple tied the knot on their 20th anniversary in November 2019.
He wrote after their nuptials: "Anthony and I married yesterday on our 20th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of our ACT civil partnership.
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"It was a small family ceremony in Anthony's home town of Newcastle. We had a lovely day and want to thank the 7.8 million Australians (and especially the 175,000 Canberrans) who voted yes to marriage equality."
Featured Image Credit: ABC