Anthony Albanese slams misinformation used by Voice campaigners

The prime minister said while fear was a powerful emotion it’s not one that “advances the country”, as he urged both sides of the Voice campaign to straighten up.

The prime minister has urged both Yes and No campaigners to “tell the truth” and called for a mature debate ahead of the October Voice referendum, amid rising backlash toward questionable campaigning tactics being used on both sides.

Anthony Albanese spoke on Thursday after a string of reports claimed anti-Voice campaigners were calling voters anonymously to spread false claims about Indigenous people, and a Yes training document emerged encouraging volunteers to paint anti-Voice advocates as “vilifying” Aboriginal people.

“I don’t want the Yes campaign to be contacting people with a script that says don’t identify who you are and don’t talk about facts,” the PM said.

“I’m not interested in misinformation. I’m interested in facts. I’m also interested in the media’s role in this as well, in how the reporting occurs.”

When asked if campaigning strategies would undermine the result of the October 14 vote, the PM said the decision would be ultimately left up to the Australian people.

“At the moment there is a whole lot of debate about other things, including any individual on either the Yes or No campaign,” he said.

“(But) it’s about a simple proposition: the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Australia’s first peoples, that there shall be a body that may give advice on matters that affect them.”

Anthony Albanese with Michael Long after finishing off his 20 day walk from Melbourne in support for a Yes vote at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

Mr Albanese spoke alongside former AFL champion Michael Long, who recently finished a “historic” 200 km walk from Melbourne to Canberra in support of the Yes vote.

Mr Long, who had completed the same walk in 2004, said in the 19 years since his last journey the life expectancy gap between Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians has widened.

“When we have power over our destiny, our children will flourish,” Mr Long told reporters.

Hundreds of Yes supporters were seen walking across Parliament House on Wednesday morning. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

The prime minister’s call comes as back-and-forth campaigning on both sides in the lead up to referendum attract intense scrutiny across the political spectrum.

A trades union training document, which is publicly available online, was shown to instruct pro-Voice campaigners to call out No voters by claiming they are “distracting” using “ludicrous detail” and creating division to “divide the working class.”

“Generally you're better off sticking to your message than rebutting theirs, but if you do have to..,” the document reads.

To combat arguments presented by the No side, Yes campaigners should “call out the tactic and who’s behind it”, according to the Victorian Trades Union, and point to their motivation which could be “political - to divide the working class, or “economic - to safeguard mining interests, sell newspapers with shock.”

Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton has fiercely opposed an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Earlier this week, a leaked training session revealed the No activist group Advance’s strategy to make people suspicious of the First Nations Voice to Parliament, as first reported by the Sydney Morning Herald.

According to the tape, volunteers are told to not identify themselves as No voters while conducting phone calls, and are being encouraged to raise false reports of compensation being paid to Indigenous Australians should a Yes vote win.

On Wednesday, prominent Yes campaigner Professor Marcia Langton revealed she was seeking legal advice over media comments which suggested she had labelled No voters “stupid” and “racist”

“I’m saying the claims being made by the No case are based in racism and stupidity – and appeal to racism and stupidity,” Prof Langton said on Wednesday.