The prime minister has taken a veiled swipe at his political opponents over the Voice to Parliament, warning them of the danger of passing up the opportunity to unite the nation behind Indigenous recognition.

Anthony Albanese delivered his comments to a supportive crowd at Petersham in his inner-west Sydney electorate on Saturday, the first day of a “week of action” from backers of the Voice campaign.

He said Indigenous Australians had said “loudly and clearly” that they wanted recognition and for this to be delivered through the Voice.

Mr Albanese added what would be put to the public in a referendum, to be held between October and December, was a “very clear proposition” and further detail on the Voice would be informed by a series of principles published by the referendum working group.

“I think those principles are very clear, they’re there for every parliamentarian to understand,” Mr Albanese said.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton has for weeks called for more information about how the Voice will work as the Liberal Party weighs up whether to back the Yes or No campaign in the vote.

He warned on Friday the referendum was doomed to fail, again accusing the prime minister of withholding key details on the makeup and scope of the Voice.

But Mr Albanese on Saturday argued the referendum was an “opportunity to unite our nation”.‘