A formal treaty and Indigenous truth-telling commission have effectively been ruled out by the prime minister but the government says it will still be guided by the ideals of the Uluru Statement.
Setting up a Makarrata commission, or truth-telling body, was one of the cornerstones of the statement Labor committed to "in full" the day it won government.
Two years later, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has distanced himself from suggestions to set up a formal body.
But Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said the government was still committed to improving outcomes for First Nations people and the ideals of the statement.
"We are not moving away from our commitment to the Uluru Statement from the Heart in terms of our love and our support for all of those who gathered (at Uluru) in 2017," she told ABC TV on Monday.
Senator McCarthy said Indigenous Australians still needed time to come to terms with the loss of the voice referendum in 2023.
Setting up an Indigenous voice to federal parliament was one of the three elements of the Uluru Statement, along with a Makarrata Commission and treaty.
Ten months on from the referendum defeat, Senator McCarthy said bipartisan support was needed for advancing outcomes for Indigenous people.
"This was clearly a soul-shattering event ... people are still recovering from that," she said.
"It was deeply traumatising for First Nations people who largely voted 'yes', especially in the northern parts of the country."
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has warned pursuing a Makarrata commission would be a repeat of the voice referendum.
"The mistake that the prime minister made at the time of the voice, in trying to foist that onto the Australian people, I think he'd be repeating that mistake," he told reporters in Perth.
"If the prime minister didn't hear the voice of the Australian people at the time of the referendum when they voted, then I think the people of Australia are right to send a message to the prime minister at this election that they don't want a Makarrata commission.
"They want practical outcomes for Indigenous Australians, and that's what he should be concentrating on."
At the Garma festival, Australia's largest Indigenous gathering, Mr Albanese said he was focused on finding "new ambition, energy and determination" to work with the Indigenous community, rather than "rake through the ashes" of the failed vote.
Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman said an historic apology at the festival for Northern Territory police injustices inflicted on First Nations people would lose its significance if not matched by a cultural shift within the force.
Mr Sivaraman acknowledged it was a vital step towards improving police relations in the territory, but added "words can only go so far".
"Change must now be embedded throughout the entire police force and the structures set up within it ... I hope this cultural shift is being driven by the very top of the police force," he said.
A commitment must be made to independent investigations of recent actions by serving members of the NT Police, such as the coming review into systemic racism by the NT's Anti-Discrimination Commission, Mr Sivaraman said.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss agreed the apology was "necessary and symbolic", but said the force also needed to reckon with the injustices that continued "to this day".
13YARN 13 92 76
Lifeline 13 11 14
