The concern regarding having a referendum in Australia to change the Constitution to recognise Aboriginal people as being here is this: You have to win the referendum. As shown by the Brexit referendum, the will of the people is not something one can rely upon. If you lose it, then that's that. You don't get another shot at it. The usual policy of any government here is, when faced by a call for a referendum, is to fund both sides of the argument so that people have a clear and informed base on which to make a choice. This is why Australia is not a Republic, because Australia rejected the notion, and why we not fully separate as a nation from the UK. A referendum sounds like a good and progressive idea on recognising Aboriginality in Australia, but only if you win the referendum, only if you trust that the majority of Australians think like you do. The history of referenda in Australia is that most don't get up.