Aboriginal Australia's rejection of constitutional recognition in favour of an elected parliamentary advisory body and a treaty has raised serious questions over the future of the Recognise campaign.
A major rebranding may be needed for the government-sponsored marketing campaign that has received millions of dollars in funding since 2012 to build community support for the cause.
On Friday hundreds of indigenous leaders at Uluru abandoned the prospect of a symbolic statement of acknowledgement recognising Aboriginal people as the original owners of the land.
Instead they demanded fundamental constitutional reform.
Recognise, which is a part of Reconciliation Australia, says it looks forward to seeing further detail when a final report is presented to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten on June 30.
"The principles that Recognise has always focused on are around recognition in the constitution and dealing with the discrimination in it," a spokesperson said in a statement.
"It is clear that the proposal for constitutional change outlined at Uluru - that is the call for an indigenous voice in the constitution - is designed to secure both recognition and provide a counter to the discriminatory elements in the constitution."
The proposal was delivered on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking 1967 referendum that included Aboriginal Australians in the census.
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"In 1967 we were counted, in 2017 we seek to be heard. We leave base camp and start our trek across this vast country," the statement said.
A working group will be set up as grassroots campaigners try to bring Australian voters with them.
Indigenous Health Minister Ken Wyatt and federal Labor MP Linda Burney have both said the most well-crafted proposal will mean nothing if it's not winnable, making pragmatism an imperative.
But Cape York indigenous leader Noel Pearson says putting an "acknowledgement plaque" at the top of the constitution was never going to be enough.
"I don't at all believe there's justification to have low expectations here. There's a groundswell and a ready constituency for support," he told AAP.
And although only eight out of 44 Australian referendums have succeeded since 1901, Mr Pearson is confident a referendum can be won within the next year.
He believes the next stage of the process - convincing the parliament - will be the most difficult hurdle.
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"I think the Australian people are the easy part, if we have the requisite political leadership who will be able to capitalise on that willingness," Mr Pearson said.
"(And) I've found more substantial bright lights of support on the conservative end. I actually think it's the sagging, timid middle that is our greatest challenge."
Both Mr Turnbull and Mr Shorten were tight lipped on whether they would endorse a new permanent indigenous representative body and didn't want to pre-empt the final recommendations.
"We will consider them with the greatest of respect and gravity as is appropriate to accord to them," Mr Turnbull told reporters in Sydney.
"I have no doubt that we need to have a greater voice in decision making in this country for our First Australians, but the form of that, I'm not going to start speculating on," Mr Shorten said in Melbourne.
Referendum Council Co-Chair Pat Anderson said although governments had ignored the demands of the Aboriginal community for decades, she's determined to bring an end to disadvantage.
"It's this generation's turn to have a run at it and we're going to run at it head first," she said.
"Our very survival in fact depends on it. We won't be around in another 50 years."
