Linda Burney | The long road to recognition through a Voice to Parliament will be worth it

And it is my great hope that Australians will rise to the occasion and take this important step.

This referendum is our chance to create the change we need, to deliver a better future - for everyone.

It's our chance to put our history in our constitution.

The journey to constitutional recognition has been decades in the making.

This week, I had the great honour of launching the Australian National University's new website - "Quest for Indigenous Recognition".

It's part of the Australian Dictionary of Biography and serves as an important source of information for Australians who seek to understand the long campaign for recognition.

It includes the extraordinary story of Wiradjuri men Jimmy Clements and John Noble.

In 1927 they walked 150 kilometres over the mountains to Canberra from Brungle Mission near Tumut -the mission my father comes from.

Jimmy and John walked for three days because they wanted to attend the opening of Parliament House.

They were first in what would become a long line of Indigenous petitioners to the Commonwealth Parliament.

When they arrived in Canberra, the local police tried to move them on, but the crowd would not hear of it. They stood up for Jimmy and John, and eventually they stayed.

I told this story in my first speech to Federal Parliament, because it's an important reminder that Aboriginal Australians have been seeking recognition for many, many years.

Years of advocating to be recognised, to be heard.

The William Cooper petition in the '30s. The Yirrkala Bark petitions in the '60s. The Barunga Statement in the '80s. And many other significant moments over the years.

Including in 2017 when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people came together at Uluru.

There, 250 Indigenous Elders and leaders called for constitutional recognition through a Voice.

The Uluru Statement from the Heart said: "We seek constitutional reforms to empower our people and take a rightful place in our own country. When we have power over our destiny our children will flourish. They will walk in two worlds and their culture will be a gift to their country."

And that's what this referendum is about - recognition, listening, and better results.

Recognition of 65,000 years of culture and tradition, which is something we all should celebrate as Australians.

And it's about listening to advice from a committee of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, so governments can make better decisions.

Because when governments listen to people about issues that affect them, they get better outcomes, in areas like health, education, housing and jobs.

It is clear that what we've been doing hasn't been working. We need a new approach.

A "no" vote accepts the status quo - an eight-year gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

A "no" vote accepts that we can't do better. A "no" vote would be end of the road for recognition.

Not every generation of Australians get a chance to make history.

This is our moment. And there are no second chances with this. It's now or never.

And I am optimistic that October 14 will be a turning point in our history - that Australians will step forward and make our country an even better place by voting "yes".