Senior Australian of the Year Tom Calma urges end to Voice politicking and 'dilly-dallying'

Indigenous academic and a key architect of the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament, Tom Calma has made the plea to parties such as the Greens and the Nationals, while expressing disappointment in what he has called political "mischief" and "malice".

Greens senator Lidia Thorpe has shifted from other federal Greens representatives, indicating Voice opposition unless she gets an iron-clad guarantee Indigenous sovereignty won't be ceded. There's also broad Coalition insistence on Voice detail when proponents maintain detail is either available or will be decided after a successful referendum.

Professor Calma wants party politicking on the proposed representative body to stop and insists it should not be decided on "other" issues and a handful of politicians.

"I just say focus on the game and that is the Voice and [deal with] these other programs at another time," the Chancellor of the University of Canberra told The Canberra Times.

"I think they should have a little look in the mirror, the Greens, for example. And the same can apply to the Nationals.

"Why would you want to risk your consideration of the Voice on other policies and programs? 'And if the government doesn't fund these, well, we're not going to consider the Voice'. They should be taking a policy position [that] is, 'Do we support a voice or don't we support a Voice?'. If they don't, then so be it."

It is a sentiment echoed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who stated on Thursday he did not want to engage in partisan politics, but urged Australia not to miss the opportunity to improve the country and national unity.

He also posed that an unsuccessful referendum would not "show the maturity of us as a nation" and reflect on how Australia is viewed by the rest of the world.

"It is something missing from our nation's birth certificate. It's missing from our constitution," Mr Albanese told reporters in Canberra.

"And I say this: if not now, when? If not now, when will this change occur? And if not the people of Australia this year, who will make this change, which will improve our country, improve our national unity? This is an opportunity for Australia. It's one that I sincerely hope that Australia doesn't miss."

But Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said Australians can't make a decision without being "properly informed".

The Nationals have taken an early position to oppose the Voice, while the Liberal Party is yet to formally take a position and is putting pressure on the Prime Minister by issuing a list of 15 questions.

"As you move around the community, it is quite obvious that people don't understand what it is that the Prime Minister's talking about," Mr Dutton said on Thursday.

"They understand that changing the Constitution is a big deal and instinctively, like me, like millions of Australians, we want better outcomes for Indigenous Australians. We don't want to see the dreadful circumstances that are the reality in Alice Springs and other parts of the Northern Territory at the moment. So, we'll work with the Prime Minister, we've been very clear about that."

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As the co-author, with prominent Indigenous academic Marcia Langton, of a 272-page report to the Morrison government which sets out what a Voice could look like, Professor Calma insists the detail is available.

The key, he says, is not one body taking over all responsibility of another.

"It's co-design. 'Co' means working together," he said. "It's not about people losing power or gaining power. It is about 'how do we share power?'"

And at the end of the day, proponents hope the Voice will improve the life status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, from health to education and employment opportunities.

Professor Calma regards Australia with a "growing positivity" and maturity. He points to polls with broad support for the proposed Voice.

"That's trending down, but I think we'll see a turnaround, if people can be a little patient," he said.

"One of the things that I think we need to really think about, and this has been a frustration for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, for a long time is that we become a political football between political parties trying to posture their own positions.

"And so, you know, we're over that and we want to just get on with business. And we want to do it meaningfully with the government of the day, and noting the way we go, governments change so quickly, we're not burning bridges anyway, we're trying to build bridges with all parties."

The new Senior Australian of the Year is using his new profile to urge a "little bit more" cooperation between the parties when it comes to Indigenous affairs.

"We've got to remember that the '67 referendum gave the Commonwealth responsibility for Indigenous people. And so all we're asking is that they meaningfully exercise their responsibility," Professor Calma said.