‘Undeniable’ the Uluru Statement is more than one page: Credlin‘Undeniable’ the Uluru Statement is more than one page: Credlin

Peta Credlin has accused Anthony Albanese of pressuring the National Indigenous Australians Agency to change its position on the Uluru Statement from the Heart to support his claim that the document is only one page long.

The Sky News host revealed last Thursday that the NIAA had responded to a Freedom of Information request showing the Uluru Statement was 26 pages long, debunking the Prime Minister’s repeated claims it was a “two-minute read”.

However Mr Albanese has continued to insist the Uluru statement is only one page, labelling claims that it is 26 pages as “a conspiracy worthy of QAnon”.

And in a letter to shadow Indigenous Australians minister Jacinta Price, the NIAA backtracked on its previous claims.

READ THE FULL 26-PAGE DOCUMENT HERE.

“You will recall, here last night, that [Jacinta Price] had oral confirmation from the Agency that the PM was wrong, the Uluru Statement wasn’t a page, it was a much lengthier document, and was still waiting for that oral advice in writing,” Credlin said in her Wednesday evening editorial.

“Well, the letter arrived to Senator Price early this morning.”

“In it, the letter claims that ‘the Uluru Statement from the Heart is one page, signed by the delegates at the National Convention in 2017. The authors of the Statement… have confirmed this. The additional pages…are background and excerpts from the regional dialogues’.

“There’s only one problem with this letter. It’s not what one of the Uluru Statement’s main authors has said repeatedly – at least until a few hours ago.

“And it’s totally at odds with what the Indigenous Agency has maintained – from its own FOI legal team now less – until yesterday.”

Credlin said it was “hard to avoid” the conclusion that the government had “bullied” the NIAA into changing its position, arguing this was likely done in order to “rescue the PM’s floundering referendum campaign”.

The former Prime Ministerial chief of staff said it was clear that the Uluru Statement from the Heart was more than “just the sanitised one-page summary”.

“It’s everything that indigenous activists think is needed, to make amends for the 240 years of injustice, flowing from what they regard as the illegal invasion of Australia,” she said.

To support her claim, Credlin quoted multiple statements – made over a four-year period – from Referendum Working Group member and one of the authors of the Uluru Statement Megan Davis.

“Here’s Professor Megan Davis, one of the Uluru Statement’s authors, denying the PM’s claim that it’s just one page, in her 2018 Parkes Oration:

Credlin argued the length of the Uluru Statement was important because it showed voters what the government had committed to when it pledged to implement the Uluru Statement “in full”.

“The full Uluru Statement – Voice, Treaty, Truth – matters because while people might support the Voice at first blush, when they understand it means Treaty and Truth, that’s when voter support drops off,” Credlin said.

Credlin pointed to the contents of the Uluru Statement to argue why the Albanese government is concerned with the contents coming to light.   

“After page one, the Uluru Statement, as quoted in the Referendum Council’s official report; and as published under Freedom of Information, by the National Indigenous Australians Agency, includes these statements:

“This is all from the full Uluru Statement, that the PM has said, no fewer than 34 times, he supports ‘in full’,” Credlin said.

“But there’s more. The full Uluru Statement declared that ‘Makarrata is another word for Treaty… it is the culmination of our agenda’.

“This is the Treaty that the PM insists has nothing to do with the Voice. Yet as the full Uluru Statement declared:

Credlin reiterated that all of these statements are in the 26-page document, released under FOI by the NIAA with the title “Uluru Statement from the Heart”.

“And (it was) confirmed as the Uluru Statement by emails,” Credlin said.

“So PM, you’re wrong.

“While Megan Davis may today have changed her tune to help save the PM’s referendum campaign, we can all see through it, because she cannot backtrack on years and years of public and published comments.

“It is undeniable that the Statement from the Heart IS more than one page, and – if the Voice happens – it won’t stop there. There’s Treaty and Truth coming too.

“This deception – in a long line of cunning and deceptive moves from Labor on this Voice – is yet another good reason to vote a resounding NO.”