The 'Yes' campaign trail has taken Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney to the Sydney community of La Perouse.
The eastern Sydney suburb was one of the first geographical areas of Australia to experience colonisation.
Days out from the Indigenous Voice to parliament referendum, Ms Burney met with representatives of the La Perouse Aboriginal community alongside local member for Kingsford Smith, Matt Thistlethwaite.
She said the referendum presents as "the most important vote that many people will ever cast in their lives".
"The referendum is about three things, and the La Perouse community knows this intrinsically. It is about recognition. Recognition that this land has been occupied for 65,000 years," Ms Burney said.
"It's about giving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a seat at the table to have views and give advice on issues that affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
"And, of course, as we see here in La Perouse, it is about better outcomes, particularly in the areas of health, housing, education and, today, employment."
La Peruse Aboriginal community representative Marica Ella-Duncan OAM said she is "incredibly proud" of what the Indigenous community in the area has achieved in recent decades by working with government in a collaborative way.
"After significant struggles on all of our major sort of issues around childcare health, education, housing, we invested a great deal in our leadership," Ms Ella-Duncan said.
"That leadership has forced us to the table with government in a very collaborative way. And once we have the ear of government, we have a really strong relationship that has lasted almost 15 years through that positive relationship where I'm able to see some incredible outcomes.
"And we're a wonderful example of how government and the community can work together when we listen to each other."
Ms Ella-Duncan, the first Indigenous netballer to represent the Australian Diamonds, said a successful referendum would encourage positive relationships between government and First Nations Australians countrywide, similar to that which has occurred in La Perouse.
"A Yes vote will enshrine the relationship between the parliament and the government of Australia and my people, so that what is possible here is possible anywhere," she said.
"It is so important, not just for our future generations, but for us.
"Never have we been faced with some more moral question than whether to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the First Australians and to guarantee that government and parliament will listen."
La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council chief executive Chris Ingrey said his people were tired of having to "start a relationship, stop it, restart the relationship every time government changes".
He said positive outcomes in Indigenous health, education and youth affairs in the area have occurred through strong relationships between La Perouse's Indigenous peoples and the government.
"One of the great examples that we've had is building a relationship with government, with ministers of the day, we were able to convince government that our community is no different to other communities in North Australia, around connection to country, cultural practices, and the importance of working on country," Mr Ingrey said.
In detailing the success of the relationship between La Perouse's Aboriginal community and government, Mr Thistlethwaite said the community has experienced positive outcomes "because government listened".
"(The La Perouse Aboriginal community) came to government with a plan, a plan that involved doing things differently, that involved the Elders in teaching traditional customs, heritage and connection to country in these lands and these waters that are so fundamental to the being of the La Perouse Aboriginal community," Mr Thistlethwaite said.
"Because government listened to the people behind me, we are now getting better results in Indigenous education in our community. And that is what the Voice is all about."
