Grant quit the national broadcaster in July, citing racial abuse of him and his family and blasting the ABC over its lack of support.
The Wiradjuri man addressed media on Friday before delivering the 22nd Vincent Lingiari Memorial Lecture in Darwin.
He said 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 on Friday.
"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 journalist and Q&A host 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.
Upon leaving the ABC, the former journalist 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.
"Watching from a distance as I did the past month or so in Europe, I've been wondering if I can recognise my country," he said.
"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 is being held at Charles Darwin University on Friday evening.
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