If you're under the age of 40, later this year you'll be voting in your first referendum.
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All 17 million of us old enough to vote will have an historic opportunity to add something new and positive and distinctly Australian to our constitution.
Indigenous Australians are seeking to be recognised in the constitution as the first peoples of Australia, to have their 65,000 years of history and tradition and culture acknowledged in the central document of our modern democracy.
I am confident we can be united in wanting a better future for our children and making a positive difference to communities.
That's what the Voice to Parliament is all about.
The Voice will be an advisory group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members elected to represent every state and territory, the Torres Strait Islands and remote communities.
The Voice's job is to provide independent advice to help Parliament and Government make better decisions when it comes to issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
It's based on a very simple principle: when you listen to people, you get better results.
As a Yanyuwa Garrawa woman I am proud to represent the entire Northern Territory in the Senate, and I know all too well the challenges faced in some of our most remote Aboriginal communities.
And with the gap not closing fast enough, we need to do something different to ensure more children can live a long, healthy, and happy life.
So, when Parliament is looking to invest in new health services for remote communities, the Voice will be able to give advice about what services are needed most.
You might already know that Aboriginal people have a higher infant mortality rate and a life expectancy 8 years shorter than non-Indigenous Australians.
This isn't new. For decades, governments have spent billions trying to close the gap in health but a lot of that money has been wasted on programs designed in Canberra without properly consulting Indigenous people themselves.
The Voice is a chance for us to change that, so our Parliament makes better decisions, we get better value for money and - most importantly - Indigenous people live healthier lives.
That's what you are voting on at this referendum.
Cost-of-living pressures are front of mind for so many today, and I do not want future generations of Australians to continue to also face the challenge of closing the gap.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are asking us to help their children live happier, healthier and longer lives. All we have to do is write the word Yes.
Last time Australia had a referendum, way back in 1999 when Cher's 'Believe' was topping the charts the main slogan for the 'No' campaign was "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".
Read the cases for a Voice to Parliament:
This time around, something is clearly broken. Too many Indigenous babies are born dangerously underweight, too many Indigenous people are suffering from diseases that could have and should have been treated sooner and too many people are dying too young.
Something is broken. Voting for the Voice is our chance to fix it.
Saying Yes to recognition is about celebrating Australia's shared history, being proud that our modern, multicultural nation includes the world's oldest living culture.
Saying Yes to a Voice is about people's lives. It's about making sure all of us can look forward to a better future.
This referendum is a great opportunity to bring our country together. To make Australia fairer, stronger and more united.
All we have to do is say Yes.
Senator Malarndirri McCarthy is the Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians
