Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney has delivered a call to arms to 'yes' campaigners to draw on the strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elders ahead of the upcoming voice referendum.
In a speech to the party faithful at Labor's national conference, Ms Burney said the country could not afford to turn back to address disadvantage affecting Indigenous people.
"As we approach this referendum, we are standing on the shoulders of giants," she said.
"Giants like Vincent Lingiari ... draw on that strength, be inspired by it.
"It is my hope that in 40 or 50 years from now our children and grandchildren grow up in a fairer and more reconciled Australia and I can look back and say that 2023 was a turning point in our history."
While some polls had shown the 'no' vote ahead in the referendum, Ms Burney said a failed result would signal the country could not do better in closing the gap.
"We cannot and we will not turn back now, not when the life expectancy is as it is, not when suicide rates are double," she said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government remained committed to enshrining the voice in the constitution.
"All of us can be proud we belong to a movement campaigning for a 'yes' vote in this year's referendum," he said.
"Our whole nation will be lifted up when Australia votes 'yes' for recognition, 'yes' for listening and 'yes' for a better future for the people who have called our continent home for 65,000 years."
The referendum is slated to be held between October and December but a date has not yet been set.
While multiple polls suggest support for the Indigenous voice to parliament is sliding, Uluru Dialogue co-chair Megan Davis said this was not reflected in communities being visited by the 'yes' campaign.
"We're not receiving the same kind of intel the polls are showing; we are seeing an overwhelming sentiment of goodwill and support for the referendum," she told ABC Radio on Thursday.
However Professor Davis said the negativity of the 'no' campaign was cutting through.
"Australians aren't getting the information they need to have a fully informed vote," she said.
"The landscape is really cluttered by this misinformation, disinformation, that is (producing) outright lies and it's just not getting any pushback."
The 'yes' campaign has used fact-checking services to correct the record on 'no' campaign claims about the voice.
Prof Davis said the 'no' campaign was "up to the 50th lie" according to fact-checkers and that many claims were simply designed to drive opposition to the voice.
"Most Australians don't want Trumpian misinformation and disinformation in our politics and they certainly don't want American-style race discourse, which you see very much deeply embedded in the 'no' campaign," she said.
Prof Davis rejected a call from independent senator Lidia Thorpe to ditch the referendum because it was sparking division.
Greens leader Adam Bandt also did not agree with his former colleague, saying his party was campaigning strongly for a 'yes' vote.
"I'm concerned that a 'no' result would take us away from First Nations justice and make it harder to get other reforms that would be necessary," he said.
