Liberal leader Mark Speakman is cheered by Indigenous minister Linda Burney after revealing he will support the Voice to Parliament

NSW Liberal leader Mark Speakman says he will support an Indigenous voice in parliament after months of personal and community consultation.

Mr Speakman said the potential rewards outweigh the potential risks, adding that he will not play an active role in the referendum or advise others on how to vote.

“Personally, I support a vote in the Australian constitution,” he said in a statement on Saturday.

“There are no guarantees, but other things being equal, working closer with Indigenous Australians – and elevating it by embedding it in the constitution – offers a better chance of closing the gap.”

The Liberal leader previously clarified that he would allow opposition MPs to vote on the issue.

Mr Speakman said the potential rewards outweigh the potential risks, adding that he will not play an active role in the referendum or advise others on how to vote

He says he was concerned that the vote in parliament could hinder timely decision-making, but believes these have since been allayed.

With polls now showing that the referendum is likely to pass only by a slim margin, if at all, Mr Speakman called for changes to the proposal being put to the Australian people.

He urged the government to split proposals for constitutional recognition and a vote into two different questions.

Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney congratulated Mr Speakman on his position as that of ‘a decent man’.

“It’s an extremely proud day in NSW where we have bipartisan support for a vote in parliament from both the Liberal and Labor parties,” she told ‘yes’ campaign supporters in Geelong.

However, she said the intention of the Albanian government to proceed with the referendum in the way Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders had requested was to ask “a very simple, clear question.”

WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam this week withdrew her support for the ‘yes’ campaign, saying the state government’s abolition of the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act had changed her mind.

“We have seen the repeal of a piece of legislation just weeks after it was implemented as a result of an approach to provide the details later,” she told ABCTV.

Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney congratulated Mr Speakman on his position as that of ‘a decent man’

While recognizing cultural heritage laws and voting are separate issues, Ms Mettam said the plan to vote first and release details later is the same.

“I continue to support the recognition of indigenous peoples in the constitution,” she said.

“What I was hoping for – and what many Australians and Western Australians are hoping for – is more detail on how the vote that has been proposed will lead to some real practical results.”

On Saturday, Mr Speakman called for the release of a bill on the vote, including a detailed description of the proposed composition, functions, structure, powers and procedure.

The NSW top Liberal was not alone in delaying making his position known, while counterparts in Victoria and Queensland continue to do so.

Victorian opposition leader John Pesutto has given Coalition MPs the freedom to vote how they like but has yet to reveal his personal position, as has Queensland opposition leader David Crisafulli.

The leader of Australia’s only Liberal government, Tasmanian Prime Minister Jeremy Rockliff, who is considered moderate, plans to vote ‘yes’ in the referendum.

“Recent opinion polls suggest that the referendum is unlikely to succeed and that even if it succeeds, it will only succeed by a slim majority,” Speakman said.

Neither outcome aids our nation’s ongoing journey of reconciliation.

“Whatever the outcome of the referendum, there remains the urgent issue of reconciliation and bridging the gap, which we must all renew.”