Prominent 'no' campaigner Warren Mundine has sparked immediate outrage after likening calls for an Indigenous voice to a "declaration of war".
Mr Mundine described the 'yes' campaign as a "pack of lies" in a speech to the National Press Club, rejecting suggestions he and other voice opponents had no alternative plan to improve the lives of Indigenous people.
That plan, he said, included heightened accountability for government spending on Indigenous communities, with social change needed to confront "hard truths" about violence and abuse.
But he saved his biggest whack for the Uluru Statement from the Heart, saying it couldn't be further from the idea of reconciliation.
"It says Indigenous Australians are trapped in victimhood and oppression, not free or able to make their own decisions ... this is a lie," Mr Mundine said in Canberra.
"Aboriginals, we have a choice to continue to feel aggrieved or to draw a line in history and not be captive to that past, always remember, never forget history, learn from it, but move forward."
Megan Davis, one of the Uluru Dialogue co-chairs, labelled the comments "repugnant" and said the Uluru Statement was about bringing the nation together.
Professor Davis pointed out the statement won last year's Sydney Peace Prize.
"This is pretty baseline Trumpian misinformation, it really tips over into the line of unacceptable political communication," she told ABC TV.
"(The statement) was an expression of peace and love to the Australian people, about belonging and unifying the nation … it is regarded not just nationally, but worldwide as a statement of peace."
Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said misinformation about the voice had been knowingly shared by opponents.
"What has occurred during this campaign is a lot of information being put out there, including by some who know that it is not true," he told reporters in Adelaide.
"They know the voice won't be sitting down with the Reserve Bank determining interest rates."
Australia hits the polling booths on October 14, but early voting has already opened with remote voter services visiting nearly 200 locations across the Northern Territory over the next three weeks.
Mr Mundine dismissed suggestions a 'no' vote would damage Australia's reputation internationally, stating other nations "couldn't give a crap".
Former foreign minister Julie Bishop and prominent human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson are among those who think it would hurt the country's standing, the latter claiming it would be hypocritical to call out human rights abuses in other nations if the voice fails.
"I'm sorry to tell everyone in Australia, but the Americans and Europeans don't get out of bed and think 'oh, gee, what's Australia doing today?'" Mr Mundine said.
"This idea that we are going to be this pariah, look at some of the countries in the world we do business with and how they treat their own citizens."
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