The moment Deputy Manager of Opposition Business & Nationals MP for Page Kevin Hogan shamed the rank and file of his party, shamed the people of his electorate and deeply shamed himself.
Kevin Hogan MP at 2:44pm during House of Representatives scheduled Question Time on 8 August 2023. Snapshot from official parliamentary digital live broadcast.
House of Representatives, Hansard, on Tuesday 8 August 2023 at the point Mr. Hogan deliberately and knowingly misrepresented the pages he held in his hand:
The SPEAKER: I'll hear from the member for Page, who is seeking leave.
Mr Hogan: I thank the Prime Minister for earlier tabling page 1 of the document, Uluru Statement from the
Heart. I seek leave to table the full 26-page document, Uluru Statement from the Heart.
The SPEAKER: Is leave granted?
Mr Burke: Leave is not granted.
The SPEAKER: The member for Page will put away his prop.
How do I know that what he held in his hand was not the Uluru Statement From The Heart?
Original Uluru Statement from the Heart. IMAGE: J-Wire, 6 March 2019
Because it is a very specific document created in keeping with the tradition of the Yirrkala bark petitions and the Barunga statement, the Uluru Statement From the Heart was made in the form of a work of art on canvas which in this instance included approx. 444 words in the text. It was signed by over 250 First Nations people representing approx.1,200 delegates who participated in the regional dialogues and conferences which reached consensus, with 100 signatures including the name of their nation. The artwork was painted by Maruku artist and Uluru traditional owner Rene Kulitja and Mutitjulu artists Christine Brumby, Charmaine Kulitja and Happy Reid [The Monthly, May 2019].
What Hogan knowingly held in his hand appeared to be an extract from a 112 page compilation document created with a "3/8/23, 1:10:26 PM" date stamp, which contains copies of the records of many of the regional dialogues as well as a document which includes "Our Story" & a plain text transcript of the wording on the original signed Uluru Statement From The Heart canvas.
A best he perpetrated an infantile stunt that day, at worst he attempted to both mislead the Parliament and the Australian people.
