Karl Stefanovic’s cheeky swipe at absent Peter Dutton

Peter Dutton and Karl Stefanovic may be longtime morning television buddies but it didn’t stop the Today show host from taking a dig on Friday.

Karl Stefanovic has taken a cheeky swipe at Peter Dutton after technical difficulties thwarted his attempt to join the breakfast television program for his regular Friday panel.

It meant the Liberal leader’s sparring partner, deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, had to go it alone but the Today show host quipped he probably “enjoyed” not having to share the spotlight.

“I think Peter is making the best contribution he has so far,” Mr Marles joked as Stefanovic and co-host Sarah Abdo laughed from an outside broadcast in Adelaide.

“Oh fighting words!” Abo chimed in.

The pair have long appeared together on the Friday morning television show, carrying on a tradition set by now-prime minister Anthony Albanese and former minister Christopher Pyne over the years.

The pair giggled as Mr Marles roasted his sparring partner.

In a cheeky turn, Stefanovic asked Mr Marles how he rated the opposition leader‘s performance, which the Today show host described as “not a great couple of weeks”.

“I think he’s done really well today,” the Deputy Prime Minister teased before adding, “This is the strategy obviously he put in place in the lead-up to the Action by-election.”

“Silence your opponent,” Abo said amid Stefanovic’s chuckles.

“Good on you Richard,” the Today host responded.

It comes as the government ramps up its attacks on Mr Dutton for using Alice Springs “as a political football”.

The Liberal leader spent a second day in the Red Centre alongside County Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price campaigning against the Voice to parliament referendum and calling for more action to deal with violence in the town.

“I think it’s really important that we’re not making Alice Springs a political football. A lot of work has gone on here to try and improve the situation in Alice Springs,” Mr Marles said.

Mr Dutton was absent from the show due to ‘communication difficulties’. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Mr Dutton’s claims that “young Indigenous kids are being sexually assaulted on a regular basis” in the town caused controversy on Thursday, with the NT police minister calling on him to report wrongdoing to the authorities for further investigation.

The sole Indigenous MP within the Liberals, senator Kerrynne Liddle, agreed that politicians needed to be “really careful” about politicising issues in the outback town.

When pressed about her leader’s accusation, the South Australian senator responded: “I say prove it’s not happening”.

“I don’t think we can pretend that there is not abuse going on in the Northern Territory. Of course, there’s abuse going on everywhere … and it’s always underreported and always affecting the most vulnerable,” she told ABC’s RN.

A joint parliamentary committee examining the legislation for the Indigenous Voice referendum, due later this year, will hold its first hearings in Canberra on Friday.

It will hear from proponents of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, Voice co-design process as well as eminent legal figures.