Peter Dutton responds after Anthony Albanese reveals he’s not read additional Uluru documents

Peter Dutton has weighed in after the Prime Minister revealed he hadn’t read background Uluru Dialogue material.

Peter Dutton has blasted the Prime Minister for being “tricky”, after Anthony Albanese revealed he hadn’t read dozens of background pages attached to the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

The Uluru Statement, which was created in 2017 after a long process, is a one page document that calls for a constitutionally enshrined Voice, and a “Makarrata” truth and treaty process.

Attached to the statement is “Our Story”, that details the history and lead up to the statement; as well as the call for “reparations”.

There is also an additional 100 pages of material, released under FOI by the National Indigenous Australians Agency earlier this year, which includes further background information.

The Coalition and “No” campaign in recent weeks have used the additional pages – some of which have been public for seven years – to blast the Yes case and the government for failing to be honest with Australians about what happens if the Voice succeeds.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he hadn’t read the additional pages. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

Professor Megan Davis from the Uluru Dialogue said the encouragement to “read deeply” in preparation for voting in the Voice had been “distorted and weaponised” by the No campaign that “has no alternative and is intent on misinformation and division”.

“It’s very simple. The unceasing attempts from the No campaign to take draft documents from conference rooms seven years ago and transcriptions of butchers paper seven years ago to manufacture a controversy over the Uluru Statement is farcical. It reeks of desperation,” she said on the weekend.

On Monday, in a lengthy interview with Neil Mitchell, Anthony Albanese confirmed he hadn’t read the additional 25 pages of “Our Story”, or the other documents, saying “why would I?”, because the most important piece of information was the one page, 439-word Uluru Statement.

He accused Mr Dutton and the No campaign of playing dirty.

Professor Megan Davis of the Uluru Dialogue says the Uluru Statement from the Heart is ‘one page’. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“Peter Dutton knows full well that a Voice will not have a say in where the submarines from AUKUS will go, they know the Uluru Statement from the Heart is one page, not hundreds of pages,” Mr Albanese said.

“I know what the conclusion is. The Uluru Statement from the Heart is one page. That’s the conclusion. [The No campaign knows] those pages have been on the website for years, put there under the former Coalition government.”

Peter Dutton accused the Prime Minister of ‘being tricky’. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Responding to Mr Albanese’s claims on Wednesday, Mr Dutton accused him of being “tricky” and trying to “get away with it”.

“I’ve just never seen anything like it, because the Prime Minister is proposing to the Australian public that we have an amendment to our constitution – to our nation’s rule book – and the Prime Minister says he hasn’t read the supporting documents and he’s making it up as he goes along,” Mr Dutton told 2GB.

“I don’t know whether he’s deliberately doing it or he’s not across the detail or he believes that if he tells the truth, it will give rise to more questions.”

Mr Dutton also accused Mr Albanese of trying to prematurely dictate what the Voice would have scope over, after the Prime Minister lashed the No campaign for running scare campaigns over the Voice’s potential impact on things like AUKUS and carparks.

“It’s the case that the words that the Prime Minister is putting forward don’t limit what the Voice can comment on,” he said.

“The government doesn’t have to listen to it, although the High Court might later on … The Prime Minister can’t hand on heart say that any area of public policy is outside the scope of the Voice.”

Earlier, Mr Albanese told Triple M radio that the Voice was a “clear and simple change”.

“It won’t change the way that parliament operates. Parliament will still be the decision maker, but it will enable First Nations people’s voice to be heard,” he said.

Originally published as Peter Dutton responds after Anthony Albanese reveals he’s not read additional Uluru documents