Australians will head to the polling booths to vote on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament on October 14.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese officially confirmed the date for the referendum in Adelaide on Wednesday, choosing a day considered by many as the favourite.

It sets the scene for a six-week campaign ahead of Australia’s first referendum in almost 25 years.

“There’s so much for Australia to gain. There is no downside here. Only upside,” Mr Albanese said.

“Many times when I’ve spoken about this change I’ve asked – if not now, when? This is it. October 14 is our time.”

Describing the Voice as “an idea whose time has come”, Mr Albanese used a speech in Elizabeth, in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, to urge Australians to vote yes. He was joined at the event by Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney and South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas

“For many years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have advocated for constitutional recognition through a Voice. Our government, along with every single state and territory government, has committed to it. Legal experts have endorsed it,” Mr Albanese said.

“People on all sides of the Parliament have backed it. Faith groups and sporting codes and local councils and businesses and unions have embraced it. An army of volunteers from every part of this great nation are throwing all of their energy behind it. Now, my fellow Australians, you can vote for it.”

He said the Voice, if it won the backing of voters, would be a committee of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, representatives from every state and territory, the regions, remote communities, and the Torres Strait Islands.

“[It will be] a practical way of dealing with issues that, despite all of the good intentions in this world, no Australian government has been able to get right before,” he said.

Mr Albanese had a special message for those considering voting “no”, saying if the referendum failed, then nothing would change.

“Voting no closes the door on this opportunity to move forward,” he said.

“I say today, don’t close the door on constitutional recognition, don’t close the door on listening to communities to get better results. Don’t close the door on an idea that came from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people themselves.

“If something is unclear to you, or you haven’t even had a chance to think about this yet, I encourage you – ask questions, because if you’re unsure, it’s easy to find out more.”

Earlier, Mr Albanese described South Australia as “critical” to securing a ‘Yes’ majority in the October vote.

Support for the Voice is lowest in Queensland and Western Australia, making South Australia a key battleground for a referendum that must win a national majority and be supported by a majority of states to pass.

Wednesday’s announcement in Elizabeth also had a historical resonance. The 1967 referendum that led to Indigenous Australians being counted as part of the population was also launched in South Australia.

The naming of the referendum date also brought a flurry of activity by the ‘yes’ campaign, including door knocks and street walks.

Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull joined Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and ‘yes’ volunteers to hand out flyers in Sydney.

In Tasmania, Liberal MP Bridget Archer hit the streets to encourage voters to back the proposal, while Greens leader Adam Bandt and NDIS Minister Bill Shorten talked to commuters in Melbourne’s inner-north.

The Australian Electoral Commission has sent 13 million households pamphlets outlining both sides of the referendum debate.

Voters will be asked to say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to the following question:

“A Proposed Law: To alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?”

The Voice referendum will be the first time Australians will vote on whether to change the constitution since the country vetoed the republic in 1999.

History is against the Voice succeeding, with just eight of the country’s 44 referendums being successful.

-with AAP