As the formal vote on the proposed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament draws closer, one community in Western Australia's far north isn't waiting to take action.
Australians will go to the polls later this year to determine whether to implement an Indigenous body advising legislation and policy impacting them.
The Shire of Halls Creek has confirmed it will stand behind a 'Yes' vote, but it has taken a step beyond that, with Jaru-Gija man Dean Mosquito set to advise the council on where services need to be improved.
The advisor will liaise with Aboriginal communities around Halls Creek to identify where the shire can improve services.
Mr Mosquito said he was relishing the chance to help his people.
"I can get my countrymen to understand more about the rights they have," he said.
"Not many of our countrymen know what human rights mean.
"It's about our mob taking control and I think it's time we take back control."
Mr Mosquito said a key part of his duties would be voicing the concerns of local people.
"It would be good if I could just break it down and explain to them," he said.
"Sometimes people feel uncomfortable talking to kartiya (non-Aboriginal people), so it will be good to have someone like me to talk to."
Mr Mosquito said local governments needed to take cultural and traditional practices of First Nations people into account.
"We have a right to live how we want to live, especially in a cultural way," he said.
Record flooding earlier this year highlighted issues around food security and increasing costs of living in the Kimberley.
Mr Mosquito said his first goal was to address these problems for people in the outback town.
"The food and rents are too high," he said.
"I'm working and earning money; imagine a single mother with kids trying to buy food.
"There is overcrowding and people are paying high rent to live on their own land."
Shire supports the Voice
Shire chief executive Phil Cassell said it was a move in the right direction.
"We think it's a major step towards supporting the Voice, but also practically doing something that is in line with closing the gap for the people in our shire," he said.
"It's our Voice within our tiny little local government parliament.
"We can't influence the whole nation, we can't influence Canberra, but we can certainly influence our shire and what we do in our community."
Mr Cassell said it would play a big part in acknowledging a dark history in the region.
"Truth-telling is important for the Shire of Halls Creek and the whole Kimberley region because this was one of the most hostile dispossessions of land in Australian history," he said.
Mr Cassell said he hoped the appointment would inform people about the upcoming vote.
"I'm hoping people will start to clearly understand what the Voice to Parliament is truly meaning and where it's truly heading," he said.
Neighbouring shire's different approach
Three hundred kilometres along the highway, the neighbouring Shire of Wyndham East Kimberley has decided not to get involved in political discussions about the referendum.
Shire president David Menzel said councillors had not pushed to take a position.
"We have not been lobbied to take a public stance on it," he said.
"It's probably not something we need to get too engaged in as a remote local government."
Cr Menzel said there was still a need for remote and regional representation.
"We've certainly experienced the impacts of not being listened to in remote and regional Australia," he said.
"We're always advocating for local voices to be heard, so we're interested in the outcome and how it might change the effectiveness of local voices being heard."
The shire's decision came after the City of Fremantle announced it would dedicate ratepayers' money to promote a 'Yes' vote.
Cr Menzel said the remote shire did not have the resources to support a local campaign.
"We're struggling to maintain our assets and the services that we're legally obliged to serve to our community," he said.
