Journalist Stan Grant has urged Australians to vote 'yes' in the voice referendum but declared Indigenous people will "keep on surviving" regardless of the outcome.
"When I look into the eyes of my parents and see the quiet dignity and love of their struggle, I ask myself how many times can we say no to those people?" he said in a speech in Darwin on Friday evening.
"Don't break our hearts, Australia."
Grant quit the ABC in July, citing racial abuse of him and his family and blasting the national broadcaster over its lack of support.
The Wiradjuri man delivered the 22nd Vincent Lingiari Memorial Lecture in Darwin on Friday, arguing Australia has a chance at democracy on October 14.
"In this year of voice, we have shown that after two centuries, we cannot hear each other," he said.
"This year has aged us all."
"Time does not heal all wounds, time that does not come with justice may just deepen them."
Upon leaving the ABC, Grant moved to Denmark to head a new centre focused on public interest journalism.
He said since being overseas he's had space to reflect on Australia's place on the global stage.
"I needed to get away to escape the crush of my history and the banality of politics that reduces our complexity to caricature," he said.
Before the speech he addressed media, arguing the referendum, which is falling further to the 'no' side in the polls, is a historical moment but life will go on after the vote on October 14.
"Sometimes we can read too much into moments and say, 'if this fails the sky will fall in'," Grant told AAP.
"Aboriginal people will keep on surviving, (we) will look for new ways to bring our voice to the political debate and Australia will have to keep on doing the work of democracy - that won't change."
The former Q&A compere was the first and only Indigenous Australian to permanently host a prime-time current affairs show on the ABC.
Grant has been critical of the Australian media landscape since leaving the broadcaster and argues the media has failed in its responsibility to the referendum.
"Under the guise of political debate, we've seen the amplification of these racist voices that have always been there and now have a legitimacy," he said.
While overseas Grant said he wondered if he could recognise his own country.
"I thought there was a moment here to finally have the sort of mature discussion that we need to have and yet I've been proved wrong."
Grant's speech was held at Charles Darwin University and broadcast online on Friday evening.
