Lawyer, activist, Cape York Indigenous leader and Uluru Statement architect Noel Pearson says Australia has moved beyond its past as a "settler society", and is staring at an opportunity to realise its future and see racism "recede".

Speaking at Federation University's inaugural Reconciliation Lecture in Melbourne on Thursday, Mr Pearson said the nation is "coming to grips" with a better way to think about its history ahead of the Voice referendum.

Mr Pearson said Australia still contends with placing "denial behind us", despite developing into a multicultural country.

"Is there a better way to think about Australia? A way of mutual recognition? A way that properly accommodates the descendants of the so-called settlers and the original peoples?" Mr Pearson said.

"That is what we're coming to grips with this referendum. Coming to grips with the idea of mutual recognition. And the Constitution is the rightful place to enact that understanding."

Mr Pearson said he hopes for a nation without "any equivocation about that all of our cultures are Australian and we have a rightful place all in this country" as pre and post-colonial Australia moves further back in our history.

Three months out from the referendum to amend the constitution, Mr Pearson said the Voice is an agenda for "inclusion", "reconciliation" and "mutual recognition".

Earlier this week, Mr Pearson said the Voice extends past symbolism.

He told National Indigenous Times recognition is a means to end "forced assimilation".

"Recognise our right to make our own decisions about how we live in Australia, and what it means to live in modern Australia," he said.

With a successful 'Yes' vote, he forecasted a "recede" of racism as the barriers between the nation's histories and peoples are broken down.

With that, he says, while it's a proposal crucial for the benefit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, it forecasts a greater benefit for the entire nation.

"This is about you. That's our message to the Australian people," Mr Pearson said.

"This is as much about you there as it is about us, because by recognising the original peoples you're kind of recognising what Australia is and what your place in Australia is. It's going to be an important thing for everybody."

Despite recent drops in support for the Voice in polling, Mr Pearson remains confident of a 'Yes' vote succeeding late this year.

He said voters must realise the referendum is not an opportunity to side with a political sensibilities amid correlations in major party preference and stance on the proposal in polls.

The Liberal and National party have taken official stances against the Voice, while Labor and the Greens have advocated for the constitutional amendment.

Mr Pearson told National Indigenous Times the lengthy public debate and space in national discourse the Voice has occupied in recent months could serve to amplify its benefits if successful in reaching a double-majority vote.

"We're gonna make this right. It will give a new energy. It will give a new impetus," he said.

"We get it right by doing two things - we tackle the problems head on and we seize the opportunities…we're not maximising the potential (or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people).

"I think after recognition, the Indigenous talent in this country will flourish. That's what the Uluru Statement says - young people will flourish when we do this, and the country will be all the better for it."