Senior Lib quits front bench to back voice 'yes' vote

A Liberal frontbencher who was instrumental in building the foundation of the Indigenous voice has resigned from the coalition's shadow cabinet to campaign for a 'yes' referendum vote.

Shadow attorney-general Julian Leeser quit after the party room decided to oppose a constitutionally enshrined voice to advise parliament and executive government.

Liberal shadow cabinet ministers are bound to the party position and a free vote has not been granted, but backbenchers are not tied by the same rules.

"With a referendum due later this year, I believe the time for the voice has come," Mr Leeser said on Tuesday.

"I believe in a national voice, drawn from local and regional bodies, and support the referendum being put this year.

"I believe the voice can help move the dial on Indigenous education, health, housing, safety and economic development."

Mr Leeser, who is also the coalition's Indigenous affairs spokesman, said he was unable to reconcile his views with those of the party room after coming to the decision that constitutional change supported his liberal values.

"I've had many respectful discussions with colleagues about the voice over the past year. I've listened to their views and they've heard mine, but ultimately I haven't been able to persuade them," he said.

"I believe better policy is made when the people affected by it are consulted."

Mr Leeser added he would push the government to amend the proposed wording it had put forward in a bid to improve the chances of the referendum's success.

He said the government had put the referendum at risk by not being more bipartisan and forthcoming with information. 

"The government must seriously engage with coalition voters and it hasn't done so to date," Mr Leeser said.

"This failure could ultimately put the referendum at risk. An all-or-nothing approach could deliver nothing. That's why we must find common ground."

Young Liberals president Dimitry Chugg-Palmer also expressed a willingness to go against the federal party's position, saying he was open to voting 'yes' to a constitutionally enshrined voice while echoing calls for more details about the proposed body.

"It's the right thing to give them a say on decisions that affect them. That is a fundamentally Liberal principle," he told the ABC's Q&A program.

But Indigenous senator Jacinta Price wants to ensure local governments are further empowered, pointing to systemic problems she says should be ironed out before a national body is considered.

The NT senator, who grew up in Alice Springs, said the voices of rural and remote Indigenous communities weren't being listened to.

"I would be pushing for leadership in those remote communities to be better heard through what already exists," the former Alice Springs deputy mayor told ABC radio. 

The Country Liberal Party senator, who sits in the Nationals' party room, is staunchly opposed to a national body in the constitution, saying it would divide Australians down racial lines and add another layer of bureaucracy. 

"There's a whole lot of work that needs to be done before getting to the broader discussion. Until we do that, we can't improve the situation on the ground," Senator Price said.

She said the disadvantage gap existed between those in rural and metropolitan areas, with Indigenous people in major cities having the same opportunity as non-Indigenous Australians.

But that was disputed by Indigenous activist and referendum working group member Jack Beetson. 

"If you look at the cities, you get the same socio-economic problems you get elsewhere," Professor Beetson told AAP.

"Regardless of where you are, whether it's geographical isolation or social or economic isolation, there's no difference - you' re still isolated one way or another."