"I think most of the world is watching," Megan Davis, constitutional lawyer and Aboriginal woman who is leading the campaign for the change, told Reuters in an interview.
A successful referendum will set a precedent that will be "really useful for other indigenous populations around the world in relation to recognition," Davis said.
While a majority of Indigenous Australians back the change, support has been wavering at a national level, according to recent opinion polls.
In the past there have been 44 proposals for constitutional change in 19 referendums, and only eight of these have passed.
Pat Anderson, another Indigenous woman and campaign leader said this was the best political space Aboriginal Australians have been in since their struggle started over 200 years ago.
Persons:
Megan Davis, Davis, Pat Anderson, Anderson, Stephen Coates
Organizations:
SYDNEY, Reuters, First Nations, Nations, UN, United, Indigenous Peoples, Australia's, Thomson
Locations:
Australia, Torres, Scandinavia, British, Australia's, Canada, New Zealand, United States