The federal opposition has questioned the wisdom of holding a referendum on an Indigenous voice later this year, putting a dampener on hopes of bipartisan support for the landmark vote.
In an address to the National Press Club in Canberra on Monday, opposition spokesman for Indigenous Australians Julian Leeser questioned the proposed timing, urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to reconsider his plan.
"Why would you want to risk the social and racial harmony of the country and reconciliation process by putting a referendum where success was not guaranteed?" he asked.
Mr Leeser also confirmed Liberal MPs have been summoned to Canberra for a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the party room's formal position on the referendum.
As a government backbencher in 2018, Mr Leeser co-chaired a committee on constitutional recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples with Senator Patrick Dodson.
When tabling the committee's final report that year, the Liberal MP said he hoped to one day make his newborn son proud after setting out details for an Indigenous voice to government in the document.
"I hope that, when he looks back on whatever his father achieves in this place, he will be proud of the efforts his dad made towards constitutional recognition of and reconciliation with our First Nations peoples," Mr Leeser said at the time.
"This remains one of Australia's great national goals."
However on Monday, Mr Leeser claimed Mr Albanese had abandoned bipartisanship when he made the referendum one of Labor's election promises.
"The prime minister has set the timetable. He's chosen the wording," he said.
"The prime minister first released the wording at Garma - words not tested or checked with the attorney-general's department or the solicitor-general.
"The prime minister has chosen this process or lack thereof. He has chosen not to legislate the voice while he builds consensus and gives the Australian people details."
Mr Leeser added it was a pity the coalition lost last year's election, because if it had won it would have concentrated on supporting local and regional Indigenous voices.
That concept was detailed in the Indigenous voice co-design report by professors Tom Calma and Marcia Langton.
The report was commissioned by the Morrison government to look at ways a legislative voice to parliament could work because the coalition had ruled out considering a constitutionally-enshrined model.
Mr Albanese fired back at Mr Leeser's criticisms, saying Indigenous people expect the voice proposal to be advanced.
"If not now, when? You don't advance it if you don't put it," he told reporters.
Mr Albanese added that experience showed when Aboriginal Australians were consulted on issues affecting them those programs had better outcomes.
"When we have people imposing things, then you don't get as good an outcome," he said.
Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney earlier paid tribute to Gumatj leader Yunupingu and said a successful referendum would be a fitting legacy for his leadership.
"I want to dedicate what will be a successful referendum at the end of the year to Yunupingu," she said.
"Why is it that Aboriginal babies are not born at a healthy birth weight? Why is it that so many of our people are in jails and locked up in youth detention centres?
"Why is it that so many of our children are removed into statutory home care? And why is it that we are the sickest, most incarcerated people on the planet?
"These are the reasons why the voice is so important."
The newly-established Joint Select Committee on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice Referendum, made up of 13 members from the government, coalition and crossbench, is due to report by May 15.
