Guugu Yimithirr academic and one of the Uluru Statement's architects, Noel Pearson said it was a sad day for Australia that there would not be bipartisan support for such an important national enterprise.
On Wednesday, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton confirmed the Liberals would back constitutional recognition for First Nations people, but would not support a Voice to Parliament and executive government.
Mr Pearson said the Liberal Party had committed a "Judas betrayal" of the Australian people with its stance on the Voice.
"They’ve had 11 years of power to work on a proper proposal for recognition, and the decision they’ve taken yesterday is a very poor outcome of 11 years of power," he told ABC Radio.
"I couldn't sleep last night. I was troubled by dreams and the spectre of the darkness of the Liberal Party's Judas betrayal of our country.
"Nevertheless, I am certain that every attempt to try and kill and bury Uluru will not succeed [and] the Australian people will rise to the historic opportunity we have to achieve reconciliation at last.
"I've got a great belief that the Liberal Party is greatly out of step with the sentiment of the Australian people on this issue."
"Dutton sees his own political future tied up with getting this referendum to fail. This is more about his calculations about Liberal versus Labor, rather than what’s good for the country," Mr Pearson said.
"And he doesn’t mind chucking Indigenous Australians and the future of the country under the bus so he can preserve his miserable political hide.
"It's very sad."
Issues of consultation
Asked if his position could ultimately put him on the wrong side of history, Mr Dutton said he was in favour of practical outcomes for Indigenous people.
"The Voice has turned into ... an opportunity for there to be input into every aspect of government work," he said.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton and shadow Attorney-General Julian Leeser. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
Mr Dutton said he had approached the proposal with an open mind and disputed claims by the prime minister that he had been consulted on the terms of the Voice.
"The prime minister misrepresents those meetings ... I wouldn't frame it as a genuine engagement," he told ABC Radio.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the opposition leader's repeated referral to a "Canberra voice" demonstrated the disingenuous nature of the Liberal Party's position.
"Peter Dutton was part of a government for almost a decade that could have ... responded, legislated for issues that they're now talking about," he said.
"This is a divisive position that Peter Dutton has taken, this is opportunistic.
"(The coalition) have opposed just about every piece of legislation that's been before the parliament and now they're shrinking further into negativity with their opposition."
The model put forward by Labor would add a new section to the constitution recognising Indigenous people and enshrine a Voice.
The Uluru statement included a call for the establishment of an Indigenous voice, which it said should be enshrined in the constitution.
