Ngunnawal Elder Aunty Violet Sheridan warns Liberals face '50 years in limbo' on Voice stance

Ms Sheridan told The Canberra Times she was "disappointed " and "devastated" by the decision and Mr Dutton's stance on the issue.

"I thought that he would support us with this," she said.

"I'm hoping that some of the Liberal Party have a heart and cross the floor and support us with this referendum for the 'yes' vote."

Ms Sheridan's comments followed the decision by former Morrison government Indigenous Affairs minister Ken Wyatt to quit the Liberal Party following the federal party room's decision on Tuesday to reject the Voice proposal. The decision commits the Liberal frontbench to oppose the proposition but leaves individual backbenchers free to decide on their own stance.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has praised Mr Wyatt's decision, saying the former Coalition minister had shown "a great deal of principle" in resigning from the Liberal Party over its stance on the Voice proposal.

Other Liberals have indicated they will back the Voice.

Tasmanian Liberal backbencher Bridget Archer has stated she will actively campaign for a "yes" vote, along with fellow Liberal, Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff.

Ms Archer has said she will not resign from the party over the issue because, "I know I'm not the only person who thinks this way. I stay because I think the Liberal Party is at a crossroads".

But Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley on Friday doubled-down on the party room's decision, telling the Sunrise program she was concerned the Voice proposal was "very top-down" and she wanted a model that would solve problems in regional communities.

"We have to get the voices of local people heard to solve their individual problems and it does have to link very strongly to policies that actually make a difference in the lives of Indigenous Australians," Ms Ley said.

"So we do need a respectful debate, and [it has] turned a bit nasty in the last couple of days. I don't like that. You're not a bad person for thinking that you might vote 'no'."

The Liberals Party has said it will support constitutional recognition for Indigenous people and has called for legislated local and regional voices to be established.

Mr Dutton has described the Voice proposal as "elitist" and labelled it a "Canberra model" which would not improve the lives of Indigenous Australians.

But Ms Sheridan said the Voice would empower First Nations people and help close the gap.

"Let us have our own voice, let us elect our own voice," she said.

Ms Sheridan "congratulated" Mr Wyatt for "standing beside his people" but for Mr Dutton she had a different message.

"I [have] got a message for Peter Dutton and the Liberal Party and the 'no' voters in that party: be prepared to stay in limbo for the rest of the term, for another 50 years, because your values do not stand anymore," she said.

"Be prepared to stay in the darkness because that's where you belong."

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Referendum working group senior member Marcia Langton, speaking on the ABC's 7.30 Report, accused Mr Dutton of relying on "deceit" and "misrepresentations" to help sway opposition to the Voice to Parliament.

Professor Langton, who in 2019 was appointed by Mr Wyatt to co-chair a senior advisory group to the Voice co-design process, accused Mr Dutton of wanting to "sow confusion and doubt" to help reach undecided people and secure a "no" vote.

"I'm really astonished that a member of the Australian Parliament would be so deceitful and propagate what is essentially a lie," Prof Langton said. "I think his opposition to the Voice relies absolutely on deceit and misrepresentations."