One of the most important but least understood parts of the Uluru Statement from the Heart comes in the very last sentence: "We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future."

It is the reason the Uluru Statement canvas was not given to the Prime Minister at the time in a ceremony in front of the nation's media.

It is the reason why we are on a now five-month pathway to a referendum for the first time in 24 years.

It is also the reason why the frenzied political arguments about the Voice being played out in Canberra and in the media aren't really the main game here.

We are the main game. The Australian people.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney are showing determined leadership to bring the question of recognising Indigenous people as the first people of our nation and to establish an Indigenous Voice in the Constitution to a referendum later this year.

But ultimately, it's not the government, nor the opposition, nor any of the many commentators in the media that will determine the outcome.

We will. The Australian people.

For all the noise and the millions of words that will be spoken and written about the Voice, it is only our vote that matters.

In calling for constitutional recognition through a Voice, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people knew that our best chance of success lay not with the politicians but with the people.

A casual observer of the current tone and nature of the political commentary on the referendum shows that we were most certainly right.

There are two very different conversations that are happening right now.

On one hand, the conversation from Canberra and in some sections with the media is fixated division and politics as usual.

It is a conversation that is being spoken above the heads of the Australian people and Indigenous people in particular.

On the other hand, people in communities are having a much different conversation.

We know because we are out having those conversations in the community on a daily basis, and have been for a long time.

The conversation at the community level is characterised by a tremendous amount of goodwill from Australians from all walks of life.

There is a lot of support, curiosity, a willingness to get involved and people wanting to know more information so they can participate in this referendum campaign.

In particular, voters want to be assured that the Voice will have a practical impact on the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and families.

There is a shared sense of frustration by Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians about the lack of progress against some of the key life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

On some measures the gap is not on track to close. For example, on the measure of babies being born at a healthy birthweight – a crucial indicator of future health and development – Indigenous newborns continue to lag significantly behind non-Indigenous babies and the most recent data shows that gap actually widening.

These issues matter to people across our nation, who want to see real equality of life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

An Indigenous Voice is the foundation for that progress.

It's not rocket science. The people who live in communities on a daily basis understand their families and communities better than anyone else.

We get better results when Indigenous people are involved in the issues that affect their lives.

Even with the best of intentions and investment from governments, they don't understand the complex contexts of Indigenous communities. They themselves freely acknowledge this.

With a Voice in place, the parliament and government will be able to access direct intelligence and experience from Indigenous people across the country.

The advice won't be coloured by political affiliation or other distractions. It will come from people who are most invested in seeing real change in their communities.

On receiving the advice, a Minister or Parliament will be able to take what they want and make decisions as they do now – they won't be forced to act in any way.

But given the lack of progress against so many areas, there will surely be appetite to hear this advice to inform better policies and laws that actually make progress on the ground.

This is the kind of conversation that Australians are having in communities and we are absolutely focused on creating more opportunities for voters across the nation to get involved.

Because at the end of the day, it will be millions of Australians making the decision in a few months' time to make a simple recognition of Indigenous people as the first people of our nation and to do that through a practical Voice.

Indigenous people entrusted the Australian people to get this right.

And we will.

Dean Parkin, Director, From the Heart, is from the Quandamooka peoples of Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) in Queensland.