A Liberal frontbencher has urged for taxpayer funds not to be used to fund the “yes” and “no” campaigns for the voice referendum, breaking ranks with his party.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said public money was not needed to fund either campaign for the Indigenous voice to parliament, because both sides were already being well organised.

“I’m not keen to see large licks of taxpayer funding spent on running campaigns,” he told ABC Radio on Thursday.

“There may need to be some administrative support for the standing up of official ‘yes’ or ‘no’ campaign committees, but that’s about as far as I’d want to see anything go.”

The position is at odds with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who has called for public funding for both sides, in line with previous referendums.

The government has agreed to coalition calls for pamphlets to be distributed to households ahead of the referendum, detailing the arguments for a “yes” or “no” vote.

The referendum on enshrining an Indigenous voice to parliament is due to be held in the second half of this year.

Senator Birmingham said the pamphlets would be needed in an effort to provide official information to the public.

“It can also set some guardrails for debates in terms of actually what are sensible arguments, what (is) the true case in relation to a referendum proposal, not just things that might fly around in conspiracy theories,” he said.

“(Pamphlets) were always been part of our referenda in the past and (it is) important to maintain that flow of consistent information to Australians in the future.”

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said negotiations were under way on how the pamphlets would look and what information would be included.

“We want to be constructive and co-operative in the way in which we deal with all parties to make sure that the process that we put in place for this referendum is as fair as possible,” he told ABC Radio.

Mr Marles said the issue of whether public funding would go towards both sides of the debate was still being negotiated.

Senator Birmingham said he did not want to see the referendum fail, and called for the government to supply more information on how the Indigenous voice to parliament would operate to ensure more people could vote for it.

“The absence of detail presents the easiest arguments for no campaign to run against this and I do implore and urge the government, the advisory committee and others to make sure that there are detailed answers to questions being asked,” he said.

“The principle of recognition, the principle of consultation … I support that, but I don’t want to see a referendum put that fails.”

– AAP