Linda Burney has given an emotional account of the untimely death of a friend as she sought to explain and bolster support for the Voice to Parliament.
The minister for Indigenous Affairs appeared before the National Press Club on Wednesday with an address that outlined four areas she believes the advisory body should focus on.
Health, housing, jobs and education will be considered "priority areas", a necessary focus given the Voice will have "a full in-tray ... from day one."
"The Voice will be tasked with taking the long-view," she told the assembled journalists.
"Unlike government, it won’t be distracted by the 3 year election cycles. It will plan for the next generation, not the next term."
The minister also addressed a common criticism of the proposed constitutional amendment by giving an indication of how the body will work. Speaking in broad strokes, the minister's outline bore a strong resemblance to the model proposed in the Calma Langton report.
"Every state and territory, the Torres Strait Islands and remote communities will be represented," she said.
"It will be gender balanced and include the views of young people. It will consult with local communities."
'Injustice' of personal friend's death
Ms Burney also gave a personal account of the difference she believed a Voice to Parliament could make in the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
After giving some of the latest statistics on the entrenched disadvantaged forced on Indigenous people around the continent, she encouraged people to remember the lives behind the numbers.
"This is about ... real people with families and loved ones."
"Real people like Michael Riley. Michael grew up in poverty in Dubbo during the 1960s.
"Like so many others who were forced to live in those poor conditions, Michael suffered from chronic infections and got rheumatic fever, a condition from which his immune system never recovered."
Mr Riley, who Ms Burney said she "was very close to", died at the age of 44 of end stage renal failure.
The minister said she still remembers the "injustice" of his passing.
"His Aboriginality condemned him to an early death ... And it’s what still motivates me to this day. It’s what motivates me every day to put one foot in front of the other."
Campaign leaves Canberra
The Voice debate has so far been centred on politicians. The Yes campaign believes a grassroots campaign will regain lost ground. Source: AAP / AAP Image/Mick Tsikas
, after bruising months of political brawling.
Bipartisanship has been a hallmark of every successful referendum in Australian history.
With Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's announcement in April that he would campaign against the Voice, the likelihood of the poll's success dimmed.
But the Yes camp has been publicly bullish about their chances, believing that getting the debate out of the capital and into cities and towns across the continent will see a bounce in support for the Voice.
The weekend saw thousands gather in support of the constitutional amendment, which is likely to go a referendum in October this year.
With a war chest of donations believed to be in the tens of millions of dollars, the Yes campaign is in a position to vastly outspend the No camp.
