Nix indigenous acknowledgment: Abbott

The Rudd government's acknowledgment of the traditional owners of land at official functions risks becoming mere 'tokenism', Opposition leader Tony Abbott says.

It was not always necessary to mention indigenous owners and often it was an empty gesture, he said.

"There's a place for this in the right circumstances but certainly there are many occasions when it does look like tokenism," he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.

"To do it as a matter of course, to do it automatically, it does just look like formalism."

Mr Abbott has told News Limited that acknowledging traditional owners is "the kind of genuflection to political correctness that these guys (Labor) feel they have to make".

Liberal frontbencher Scott Morrison says it is important any acknowledgement is done sincerely and from the heart.

"When these sorts of things become just an obligation or something on a bureaucratic run sheet then I think it can diminish it," he said.

"(But) I made such an acknowledgement in my maiden speech to this parliament.

"I thought that was an appropriate thing to do. There's a time and place for all of these sorts of things."

Labor backbencher Steve Georganas defended the practice, saying it was the right right thing to do.

"They are the traditional owners of this land," he said, adding Mr Abbott's comments were "totally disrespectful".

Liberal frontbencher Eric Abetz said he did not generally acknowledge traditional owners of the land when making speeches.

"I find it personally to be quite paternalistic," he told reporters, adding he had done when it was appropriate.

"Why don't we acknowledge a whole host of other people and indeed deities?"

Why didn't politicians acknowledge God, the creator of heaven and earth, Senator Abetz asked.

"It's interesting that a number of indigenous leaders have now come out with that same point of view."

Independent senator Nick Xenophon said he saw no problem with acknowledging indigenous people at the start of speeches.

"The issue is we need to follow up those fine sentiments with action," he told reporters.

Australian Greens leader Bob Brown said the prior priority that indigenous people had in Australia should be acknowledged.

"I think that needs to be serious and dinkum, I don't think it needs to be a non-indigenous performance which is token," he said.

It also needs to be done with the genuine participation of the indigenous people involved.

"I think it does us no harm to stop and think about that," Senator Brown said, adding that some recognition ought to be made at the start of the parliamentary day, along with prayers.

"The Darwin city council does that."