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Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has warned of significant consequences for the future of reconciliation should the referendum on the Indigenous voice to parliament fail.

With Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday releasing details of the referendum and the question Australians will vote on, Mr Dreyfus said a 'no' vote would lead to long periods of inaction on reform.

"It would be a very long time before we returned to any question of recognition. I think it would be a tremendous setback for relations with our First Peoples," he told ABC Radio on Friday.

"I'm focused on success because the consequences of failure would be dire."

A new section would be placed in the constitution, recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the "First Peoples of Australia".

The proposed question being put to voters is: "A Proposed Law: to alter the constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?"

Laws setting out the referendum will be introduced to parliament next week, with the vote to take place between October and December.

The Liberals have yet to outline their position on whether to support the voice but Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has urged the government to release legal advice presented by the solicitor-general.

Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney said there was nothing to fear from the referendum and urged support from the coalition.

"The Liberals are looking for excuses, and I think they've almost run out of excuses," she told ABC Radio.

"My real hope is that (Mr Dutton) provides bipartisan support in the way that happened during the week on the machinery bill ... if there is not bipartisan support, that would be unfortunate, but it will not stop the referendum going ahead."

Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley said the announcement of the referendum question was an "emotional day" but more detail on the proposal was needed.

"The prime minister said this would be a modest change, but then later he said it would change the country, so we'll keep asking for that detail and ask him questions on behalf of all Australians," she told Seven's Sunrise program.

"We'll do it in a respectful way because it is an incredibly important issue, you don't get a blank cheque to change the constitution."

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said the voice would be a practical way to improve outcomes for Indigenous people.

"This isn't radical in the sense that when people who are affected by our policies are listened to, often you get the policies more right," he told Nine's Today program.

"It is about recognising our First Nations people in a practical way to hear their voice."

Prominent 'no' campaigner Warren Mundine said the prime minister's announcement of the question had not allayed his concerns on the proposal.

"It is like being asked 'would you like cake with your coffee?'We like to know what is in the cake before we say yes to it," he told ABC TV.

"It is not going to change one iota anything on the ground of Aboriginal people."

A key concern has been that decisions might be delayed or taken to court because representations by the voice must be considered by government decision-makers before they can validly make a decision.

However, constitutional expert Anne Twomey said the addition of words saying parliament can make laws with respect to "matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, including its composition, functions, powers and procedures" was important.

"They are intended to permit parliament to legislate about the effect of the voice's representations, so it is a matter for parliament to decide whether the representations of the voice must be considered by decision-makers when making administrative decisions," she said.

© AAP 2023

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The cast of Neighbours has announced that a new series of the Australian show will start filming next month.

Alan Fletcher, Jackie Woodburne, Stefan Dennis, Ryan Moloney, Annie Jones, and April Rose Pengilly told the audience of Neighbours - The Celebration Tour at the London Palladium that production will start in April.

The six actors including Fletcher, 65, who played Karl Kennedy, and his on-screen wife Susan, portrayed by Woodburne, 67, were also confirmed for a new chapter of the long-running soap.

Executive producer of Neighbours, since 2013, Jason Herbison, said: "It feels very real now. It's a hive of activity at the studio.

"We're busy writing the next chapter of Neighbours, bringing to life again the show's much-loved characters as well as new residents.

"It's exciting to see the sets being prepped, ready to start filming on April 17 which will be a huge day for everyone involved".

Andrew Thompson is also returning as a producer as the new series is set to be filmed at Nunawading Studios in Melbourne.

The suburb, east of Melbourne's Central Business District, is where the soap has been previously filmed.

Since first airing in 1985, the soap has followed the lives of those living and working in the fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough.

The series was initially dropped by Channel 5 following failure to secure new funding and the broadcaster aired a finale in July before it was revived.

The series, produced by Fremantle, will premiere for free on the streaming service Amazon Freevee in the UK and US in Autumn 2023.

The series will also stream on Prime Video in Canada, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

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Geelong coach Chris Scott is not ready to hit the panic button just yet despite a winless opening two rounds in his side's AFL premiership defence.

The Cats have slipped to a 0-2 record for just the second time in Scott's 13-year tenure, having suffered an eight-point defeat to Carlton on Thursday night.

And they could have further injury concerns, with Jeremy Cameron, Rhys Stanley and Sam De Koning all "in the wars" during a hard-fought battle with the Blues.

"We always knew it was going to be a hard year and we'd be saying the same thing if we had've won two close games," Scott said.

"The fact that we haven't got over the line, there's a disappointment there, that's obvious, but it's certainly not a situation where we're really panicking."

Geelong were without injured stars Tom Stewart (knee), Mitch Duncan (calf), Jack Henry (foot) and Jake Kolodjashnij (concussion) against Carlton, and are still learning to cope without retired premiership skipper Joel Selwood.

Former Gold Coast midfielder Jack Bowes and debutant Cooper Whyte played their first games for the Cats, while it was ex-Collingwood forward Ollie Henry's second.

"Some of the disjointed manner in which we're playing was a bit foreseeable with the shifts we've had," Scott said.

"Some of the new players that have come in, there's a lot to be positive about with those guys.

"We've come into this year with a view that we are going to be different and there are going to be teething problems with a few things.

"We've lost a couple of close games but there's still a lot to like, so there's a quiet confidence about us."

It is the first time Geelong have been 0-2 since 2015 - their most recent season without finals action.

And they are the first side since Hawthorn in 2009 to lose the opening two games of a season immediately after winning a premiership.

Scott expects Kolodjashnij to return against Gold Coast in round three, with Duncan also on the verge of returning as the Cats look to turn their season around.

"I guess we do have extra confidence with our more experienced guys that if we do get it right, our top level is going to be hard to beat," Scott said.

"We're not there yet. We'll work on it, but I'm probably erring more on the positive side, which is rare when you lose."

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A leading expert says the proposed wording of the constitutional change for an Indigenous voice will ensure parliament decides the legal effects of its representation.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday released the details of the referendum question and a new section in the constitution recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the "First Peoples of Australia".

A key concern has been that decisions might be delayed or taken to court because representations by the voice must be considered by government decision-makers before they can validly make a decision.

However, constitutional expert Anne Twomey said the addition of words saying parliament can make laws with respect to "matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, including its composition, functions, powers and procedures" was important.

"They are intended to permit parliament to legislate about the effect of the voice's representations, so it is a matter for parliament to decide whether the representations of the voice must be considered by decision-makers when making administrative decisions," she said.

The bill will be introduced to parliament on Thursday and then head to an inquiry which will take public feedback.

Once the bill is passed a referendum is expected between October and December.

While the Nationals party room has already come out in opposition to the voice, the Liberals have yet to decide whether to oppose it as a party or allow a conscience vote.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton wants to see the legal advice from the solicitor-general.

"People want to know the detail, how practically it will work and as importantly as anything, the considered legal advice around what the words will mean," he said.

He added that he was supportive of constitutional recognition of Indigenous people.

Mr Albanese insists the voice will not be a legal minefield, saying the issues had been canvassed by the referendum working group and a number of eminent lawyers.

"This form of words is legally sound and it is the form of words that all of us have confidence will gain the strongest possible support from the people of Australia at the referendum," he said.

"The words that are being put forward are even stronger ... (than) that was necessary if you look at the legal advice that was there."

Nationals leader David Littleproud said having a voice would spark "lawyers at 10 paces" and make government decision-making confusing.

Law Council president Luke Murphy said it was a "necessary and overdue advancement of the right of First Nations peoples to self-determination".

"The right to self-determination is a fundamental principle of international law," he said.

© AAP 2023