As Dr McGirr decides if he will back the controversial legislation, one of Australia's most recognisable former independents has warned that to succeed, an MP has to reflect the views of the electorate as much as possible.

Tony Windsor, who served as an MP in both the NSW and federal parliaments, believes being an independent is an advantage, but "obviously sometimes, you've got to display some leadership or make a hard decision".

"They'd declare it a conscience vote and they see it as the conscience of the member. I never saw it like that. I thought every vote I ever participated in was a conscience vote. Not my conscience - the conscience of the electorate," he said.

Alex Greenwich, one of three independents in the NSW lower house, last week tabled the bill, which has been co-sponsored by 15 other MPs, including his fellow independent Greg Piper.

Speaking to The Daily Advertiser on Monday afternoon, Dr McGirr, who has just returned from personal leave, said he was still considering the issue.

"I have received a lot of communications, which I am now reading and going through," he said.

Dr McGirr said he had heard from voters both for and against the proposal, and had also spent Monday learning more about the bill.

He was also critical of the government for "trying to push the legislation through as quickly as they can".

"Given the level of public discussion about it, I find that extremely concerning and disappointing," Dr McGirr said.

Mr Windsor warned that one of the difficulties faced by MPs was trying to explain details of an issue to constituents.

"People might just have a view, but all the arguments on both sides don't get listened to by all the people. Some just have a knee jerk reaction to some of the issues," he said.