The decision was a blow to advocates for Indigenous people, and to those drawing cautious optimism from a national dialogue on Indigenous rights after years of uncertainty.

Megan Davis, a constitutional lawyer on the Referendum Council, said Australia lagged behind its peers on the issue.

“It’s no exaggeration to say that we are outliers internationally as being one of the few Western liberal democratic systems that provide no public recognition and accommodation of Indigenous peoples’ rights,” said Ms. Davis, a professor of law at the University of New South Wales.

The council also asked for recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through parliamentary action, though that was vaguely defined.

The term “recognition” has proven to be loaded both legally and politically, as it could range from a symbolic inclusion in Australia’s Constitution, to the granting of a degree of autonomy, as seen with Indigenous people in Canada and Russia.