In 1988, the Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke pledged a treaty with Indigenous Australians by the end of 1990 - but almost 33 years have passed since that deadline and this promise is yet to eventuate.
That is why Adam Alenezi, a young Aboriginal man from Coniston, is voting no to the Voice to Parliament.
"[Hawke] promised that and he never fulfilled that, and that was under the Labor government, the very same government right now that is pushing for the Voice to Parliament... The very government that promised treaty some number of years ago," Mr Alenezi said.
He cited the historical government treatment of Indigenous Australians, such as the Stolen Generation - of which is own grandmother was a member, resulting in a loss of connection to country and culture.
Mr Alenezi said it was "ironic" that the government was asking for the Voice before treaty.
"Well hang on there, show your commitment to treaty and then maybe we'll consider Voice because if anything, this Voice is not enough, I want to see more and I want to see treaty before a Voice because that's what I was promised a number of years ago," he said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed to implementing the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full, which includes the "establishment of a Makarrata Commission for the purpose of treaty making and truth-telling".
But he has ruled out negotiating a treaty in this term of parliament if the referendum succeeds because individual states and territories are already doing so.
Mr Alenezi said the Voice was merely advisory but treaty was a commitment to share the land with the permission of First Nations people.
"So having treaty is basically setting up that, saying 'Hey, we acknowledge that this is your land and let's share it together... and let's give back some of that land', back to my people," he said.
Considering recent polls, Mr Alenezi said he was confident the "no" vote would succeed.
He said he couldn't say what the government would do regarding treaty if the referendum failed, but he hoped that if it "really cared" it would continue to move towards negotiating treaty regardless.
Mr Alenezi was at Warrawong Community Centre on the first day of early voting to hand out pamphlets on behalf of the "no" campaign outfit Fair Australia, which is fronted by Country Liberal Party senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Nyunggai Warren Mundine.
He questioned oft-cited poll results that a majority of Indigenous people supported the Voice, saying only a "small minority of Indigenous people" were reflected.
A YouGov poll of 723 Indigenous Australians, conducted in April and commissioned by the Uluru Dialogue, found 83 per cent supported the Voice.
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Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
