Indigenous people fear their feedback will once again be ignored as the federal government attempts to design a voice to parliament.
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The minister for indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt, has detailed a co-design process to integrate indigenous views into local, state and federal decision-making.
Former race discrimination commissioner Tom Calma and Melbourne University professor Marcia Langton will lead the year-long consultations.
However, indigenous rights activist Thomas Mayor is deeply sceptical, given the prime minister has already ruled out enshrining the voice in the constitution.
A constitutionally-enshrined voice was central to the Uluru Statement from the Heart two years ago, following rigorous debate between indigenous community leaders.
"It's another co-design process where indigenous people are going to pour their hearts and souls into it and say what they think, and the government is going to ignore it," Mr Mayor told ABC Radio on Wednesday.
"Over and over again we are saying we want power to affect the decisions that are made about us, we want self-determination. It doesn't matter who they appoint, they're not going to listen."
Mr Mayor said a constitutionally-enshrined indigenous voice to parliament was the only way forward.
Opposition indigenous affairs spokeswoman Linda Burney said Labor still supported enshrining the voice, but would be informed by the co-design process.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese was much stronger in his language.
"The flaw here is that the indigenous community went through an extensive consultation process and what they said was they wanted a voice to parliament enshrined in the constitution," he told reporters in Perth.
Mr Albanese said the enshrined voice was a modest request.
"I think that should be the basis for moving forward," he said.
Having ruled out an enshrined voice - angering many indigenous leaders in the process - Mr Wyatt wants to plot a different path.
"I want to hear from our people on the ground," he told the ABC.
"Leadership at all levels have to seriously think about why it is that we have so many communities in this country where the levels of disparity are appalling.
"How do we deal with the challenges that communities face on a daily basis? Even the simple thing of quality of water."
Mr Wyatt is committed to have 800,000 indigenous voices heard and be central to decision-making about them.
The government has budgeted $7.3 million for the process.
Separate regional and national groups will also be asked to come up with ways to improve local and regional decision-making and a national voice to governments.
The minister has also committed to holding a referendum within three years on recognising indigenous people in the constitution.
Australian Associated Press
