JULIA Gillard has pledged a referendum on whether to recognise indigenous peoples in the constitution. She will be fortified in this by a move last week to achieve the same outcome in NSW. But federal change will be more difficult.

Aborigines have long sought recognition in our national and state constitutions because these fundamental laws have either ignored their existence or permitted discrimination against them. They also argue that the story of our nation is incomplete without the histories of the peoples who inhabited the continent before white settlement.

An unsuccessful attempt was made to recognise indigenous peoples in the constitution at the 1999 republic referendum. The states then took the lead, bolstered by the advantage of not needing to hold a referendum. Victoria and then Queensland have reformed their constitutions by way of a simple act of Parliament.

The change introduced by Premier Kristina Keneally into the NSW Parliament last week follows the same approach. The passage of the bill is assured after being supported in heartfelt speeches by Keneally, Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell and the indigenous minister, Linda Burney.

The proposed change is generous and inclusive. It states that ''Parliament, on behalf of the people of NSW, acknowledges and honours the Aboriginal people as the state's first people and nations''. The new section also recognises them ''as the traditional custodians and occupants of the land'' and that they have ''made and continue to make a unique and lasting contribution to the identity of the state''.