In a landmark address on Saturday to the Garma Indigenous cultural festival in the north-east Arnhem Land, Mr Albanese will not recommend a model or date for the referendum, but will reveal "starting points" in three paragraphs that could be added to the constitution to give effect to an Indigenous Voice to parliament.

To avoid a rerun of the divisive detail that ultimately sank the 1999 republic referendum, Mr Albanese is to rally supporters of constitutional change and propose a referendum which asks simply: "Do you support an alteration to the constitution that establishes an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice?"

It comes as opposition MPs, including new CLP Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price in a firebrand first speech, warned there was a lack of detail over the referendum and it could divide black and white Australia.

But, in what will be seen as the most significant Prime Ministerial speech on Indigenous affairs since Kevin Rudd's 2008 apology to the Stolen Generations, Mr Albanese is expected to say the government and the country is about to "rise to the moment" with a new spirit of humility, hope and partnership between government and First Nations people.

Putting aside "200 years of broken promises and betrayals, failures and false starts", the Prime Minister is expected to say he believes the "tide is running our way" and the "country is ready" for this reform.

"I believe there is room in Australian hearts for the Statement from the Heart. We are seeking a momentous change - but it is also a very simple one," he will say, according to an advance copy of the speech.

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"It's not a matter of special treatment, or preferential power. It's about consulting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the decisions that affect you. This is simple courtesy, it is common decency.

"It recognises the centuries-old failure Paul Keating spoke of at Redfern, the failure to ask the most basic human question, 'How would I feel, if this were done to me'?"

Indigenous leaders, including those who endorsed the Uluru Statement from the Heart, are joining political and corporate leaders at Garma, the nation's largest Indigenous gathering.

The Statement from the Heart calls for the creation of an Indigenous Voice to parliament to operate as an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advisory body to parliamentarians. Support from across the political spectrum is needed to ensure the referendum will be successful. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has not rejected Coalition support. The Greens say they will not block the referendum but want progress in other areas, such as establishing a Truth and Justice Commission.

Mr Albanese said his proposed referendum question was "a straightforward proposition. A simple principle. A question from the heart".

"We can use this question - and the provisions - as the basis for further consultation. Not as a final decision but as the basis for dialogue, something to give the conversation shape and direction," he is expected to say.

While the Prime Minister is not yet offering a date to hold the referendum, it is planned to be held before the next election, due in 2025.

Mr Albanese is to indicate there is no time to waste.

"I believe the best way to seize the momentum is by settling - as soon as possible - on the referendum question that will be put to the people of Australia," Mr Albanese is expected to tell the Garma Festival.

But new CLP Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price is among the impassioned critics, describing the push for an Indigenous Voice to parliament a symbolic and divisive gesture.

She does not want the referendum put to voters without details.

"This government has yet to demonstrate how this proposed Voice will deliver practical outcomes and unite rather than drive a wedge further between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia," she told parliament in her first speech.

The Prime Minister will on Saturday propose, as a "starting point", three sentences to be added to the constitution if the referendum is successful as "one of the steps in our nation's journey of healing". One enshrines the Voice, one sets out its parliamentary responsibility to make representations on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and one that gives the parliament power to make laws governing the Voice.

He is to urge all Australians of goodwill to engage on the Indigenous Voice referendum and put aside misinformation, fear and indifference, while he will ask the Opposition and the crossbench to join the Yes campaign and bring their supporters to the cause.

Mr Albanese promises championing the Voice will not be at the expense of improving the lives of First Nations people.

"Enshrining a Voice will be a national achievement. It will be above politics. A unifying Australian moment," he is expected to say.

"A referendum is a high hurdle to clear, you know that and so do we. We recognise the risks of failure but we choose not to dwell on them - because we see this referendum as a magnificent opportunity for Australia."