8-1-2015 Abbott went to the 2013 election promising to release a draft proposal for constitutional change within 12 months of taking office. This deadline passed in September with some progress, but no settled proposal. At the moment plans are to have a referendum in 2017. Many advocates of the referendum acknowledge the risk of defeat. That might be the real reason behind the current delays. Aboriginal activists also are against the referendum because “I don’t want to be in that fucking constitution. I don’t want to be Australian.” (The Guardian)
It also seems that the contents of the referendum is changing. The SMH writes that maybe two votes will be happening. One is the non-indigenous people saying ‘we understand you were here first,’ and the indigenous people saying ‘we understand you’re not going anywhere, so welcome aboard’.
Comment from Wake Up Time: A referendum leading to abolishing any form of discrimination will most likely receive, for good reasons, overwhelming support. In Wake Up Time it is shown that in the 2014 proposals for the referendum also clauses were included that would create new discrimination, by allowing governments to make special legislation for Indigenous people.
We reckon that this is the main hurdle in the background, because Australians might vote that down. The proposals as quoted above make more sense: the referendum becomes a form of reconciliation.