Cape York leader Noel Pearson has slammed the Coalition discussion around a second referendum, labelling it a "mirage" that would not be supported by a majority in either the Liberal or National party.

On Sunday Mr Pearson told ABC Insiders he was not concerned with the declining popularity of the proposal in polls, stating: "Every battle we have won over the past century has been uphill."

Pointing to the lack of political and social rights Aboriginal people had in making decisions on their own behalf, Mr Pearson noted that at "three per cent" of the population, First Nations people were "the most powerless people in the country, with the weakest political constituency".

"We've always been the underdog. It's always been very hard for us, but we have won gains over these years, over these decades," he said

He said none of these gains came easily, rather they were achieved through persuading the Australian population of their merits.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton said he would hold a second referendum on the constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders if the current one failed – an idea long rejected by Indigenous-led proposals set up during the Coalition government - but declined to confirm a date, only stating that you hold a referendum "when you believe that it can pass".

Leading No campaigner and opposition Indigenous affairs spokesperson, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, declined to support the idea. Mr Pearson said this "eviscerated" Mr Dutton's credibility and showed that the idea would never get off the ground.

"The leader of the opposition [is] saying let's have a second referendum, and then his own Indigenous affairs spokesman kills it on Thursday night," he said.

Referencing many of the Yes campaign's supporters in his belief that the referendum was a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Indigenous constitutional recognition, Mr Pearson said: "The fact is we will never get a referendum for constitutional recognition out of these people. They are here for constant debate, constant argument, conflict and debate. They want this issue to never end. They love conflict and disputation."

"The yes campaign are saying we do this on October 14th. We settle one of the biggest issues the country still has outstanding. It's outstanding. John Howard called it, in 2007, 'unfinished business,'" he said.

He called the proposal by the Coalition "a mirage," arguing that the Nationals and Peter Dutton himself were not serious about the idea.

"The thing that it does, it pushes this debate for another five years," he said.

"We're already 15 years into it…And we're now 15 years later. Peter Dutton wants to kick this can and get the debate and division and argument going for another five years. Wait until he becomes prime minister he says. Then they will have another go."

Mr Pearson has been a long-time driver of the Voice proposal, alongside conservatives Prof. Greg Craven and former opposition attorney-general and Liberal MP Julian Leeser, as a concept that could be embraced by politicians on the conservative side of politics. He's argued the Voice could help recede the levels of racism in the country and that it was a "profound but simple proposition."

The latter has led to criticism from progressives – including former Greens senator Lidia Thorpe – that the proposal is minor and won't enact meaningful change. Simultaneously, conservatives, including former Prime Ministers John Howard and Tony Abbott, have used media platforms to label the Voice proposal and the altering of the constitution as "radical".

Mr Pearson told Insiders that including "executive government" in the proposal was necessary and that any thoughts the Voice would foster division were unfounded.

"The separation was there in 1901. What we're going to do in 2023 is fix that exclusion, fix the omission, fix the lack of recognition and when we do that, our constitution will be whole," he said

"We will complete the commonwealth of Australia and it will be a great thing to do."

Mr Pearson has been critical of the Coalition for opposing the referendum. He said he's been working for more than a decade to win conservative support.

"We worked for 14 years. Out of the last 15 years, we put 14 years of assiduous spade work with the conservatives," he said.

"I can tell you myself, I never talked to a Labor MP or leader of the opposition. Who I talked to were National Party MPs and senators, Liberal Party MPs and senators.

"Our attempt all along was to maintain bipartisanship on this and we maintained it for nine years. This thing would not be alive had we not maintained bipartisanship…It's unfortunate that bipartisanship has broken, but that does not mean this is not suddenly the wrong thing to do."

Mr Pearson said bipartisanship process splintered when leader of the Nationals, David Littleproud, was "forced" to oppose the voice by the "Indigenous affairs spokesman". When pressed if he was claiming this decision was down to Senator Price, Mr Pearson said she had been a "very compelling arguer in favour of the No campaign."

"In fact, I think she set the policy for the National Party," he said.

Asked about what he would feel if the vote was rejected on October 14, Pearson said he was not thinking in those terms.

"I believe we still have the capacity to do the right thing," he said

"I just don't believe when the hand of friendship and reconciliation is extended from Indigenous people that at the end of the day, their love will be unrequited. I can't believe that.

"I cannot believe we're still in an Australia where that hand would be just slapped aside. This unrequited love is my worst nightmare. I just don't believe Australians are capable of that at this time in our history."