The upcoming referendum is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our Constitution, paying respect to 65,000 years of culture and tradition.
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It will be a special day because the power to impact the lives of our fellow Australians, both in Katherine and beyond, will be in our hands.
When we step into the booth on 14 October, we will have the chance to be part of a great, unifying moment by saying "Yes" to constitutional recognition through an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
During my travels in Katherine last week, I heard from locals who told me they will be voting Yes because they believe it'll make a real difference to the lives of their communities.
And they were right when they pointed out the obvious - that the current system is not working.
Indigenous leaders have known this for some time.
We cannot keep trying the same solutions and somehow expect the result to change.
But that's what a "No" vote would lead to: more of the same old approach that has already seen decades of governments spending billions of dollars, only for the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia to keep widening.
So much of that is because we haven't been listening to the people who could steer us in the right direction: the people with the wisdom, the experience and the sort of insight you can only get by living in a place and calling it home.
So many people over so many years in towns, regions and remote communities, talking together to work out how to get Canberra to listen.
The Voice is an idea that has come for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people themselves, through the Uluru Statement from the Heart. It is how they want to be recognised in the constitution.
In 2017, after extensive consultation, more than 250 delegates adopted the Uluru Statement from the Heart - a generous invitation for Australians all to walk together towards a better future.
It's about doing something real and practical to improve lives. It will be about Australia embracing the spirit of the fair go in an act of celebration and unity.
The idea for the Voice could never have come from politicians like me.
It began as conversations among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people right across our vast continent.
The Voice that the Uluru Statement's many authors have requested will be a committee of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that will give advice. They will be chosen to represent every state and territory, the Torres Strait Islands and remote communities.
The Voice's job will be 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 is as straightforward as that.
Just as with any other advice that governments receive, it will be up to the Government of the day to decide what it does with that advice.
This referendum is our best chance yet to ensure people have better lives.
The Voice will mean our Parliament can make better decisions and that we all get better value for money.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will have the same thing that comforts so many of us: the confidence that their children will be able to live happier, healthier and longer lives of possibility and opportunity.
On referendum day, you can make a difference with a single word.
On October 14, all you need to do is write "Yes".
Matt Thistlethwaite is the Federal Assistant Minister for Defence.
