Deniliquin Indigenous advocate David Crew meets with MP Sussan Ley

The manager of the Yarkuwa Indigenous Knowledge Centre in Deniliquin, David Crew, met with member for Farrer Sussan Ley, who is deputy Liberal Leader, on Tuesday to voice his concern Ms Ley had taken a position without talking extensively to Indigenous people in her electorate.

Mr Crew met with Ms Ley just hours after former shadow attorney general and Indigenous Australians spokesman Julian Leeser resigned after saying he supported the Voice and had no choice after Liberal Leader Peter Dutton made clear the party's position.

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He said while his meeting with Ms Ley was "respectful and positive", he still held fears the Liberal Party's stance could result in "very negative" impacts, such as derogatory, nasty comments aimed at people solely because of their race.

"The leadership should be stopping people being this nasty and derogatory, including their own members of parliament," Mr Crew said.

"We came to an understanding that we will continue to communicate to see what's best for our region."

Mr Crew had previously come to an arrangement with Edward River council in Deniliquin where First Nations people have a voice to the council there.

"We're trying to make this a broader issue, we've got a set up with Edward River Council but if the council changes, and the new councillors don't want it, they can just get rid of it," he said.

"Sussan is bound by what shadow cabinet is, that's why Julian resigned because the shadow cabinet is bound by the the party room decision.

Ms Ley's office said the meeting with Mr Crew was a respectful exchange.

Regarding the Indigenous Voice in Parliament, Ms Ley said: "We believe in the local and regional voice because we want this to be bottom-up, not top-down. We just don't want it to sit in that ... hierarchy of Canberra."

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