What on earth is Linda Burney doing, all day? What is the Gucci-wearing, multimillionaire “Aboriginal” Scotswoman actually doing in her portfolio of Indigenous Affairs?
Because, apparently, she’s not doing her damned job.
Ms Burney will tell the National Press Club the voice will be active and engaged under her watch and offer new perspectives to old challenges from Indigenous Australians.
“From day one, the voice will have a full in-tray,” she will say, according to an advance copy of her speech. “I will ask the voice to consider four main priority areas: health, education, jobs and housing. The voice will be tasked with taking the long-view.
In other words, she’s going to ask the “Voice” to do her job. Burney is Minister for Indigenous Affairs. Every single “priority area” she’s apparently planning to fob on an unelected, unaccountable “Voice” is her damn job.
So, why isn’t she doing it?
While Ms Burney faced sustained Coalition questioning in the final sitting fortnight before the winter break over what the voice would be able to advise on, including abolishing Australia Day, the minister will on Wednesday say its remit will include improving school attendance rates and fixing an employment and training program in remote communities.
Improving Aboriginal school attendance – her job. Fixing Aboriginal employment and training – her job.
Clearly, she’s incapable of doing any of it.
Which begs the question: if Burney is so incompetent, lazy, disinterested or a combination of all three, then why on earth would any Australian take her seriously on so grave a matter as amending the Constitution?
And why should we trust her, when she’s determined to get other people to do her homework?
“We want the voice to come up with fresh ideas – fresh ideas than can guide us over the long-term. As the minister, when I meet with the voice for the first time I will say: ‘Bring me your ideas on how to stop our people from taking their own lives.’
“‘Bring me your ideas on how to help our kids go to school and thrive. Bring me your ideas on how we make sure our mob live strong and healthy lives. How we ensure more people have jobs – with the independence and purpose that brings. How we strengthen culture and language. How we support families better. How we keep alive our 65,000 years of culture and make it stronger.’
“I will be asking the voice for their input to solve these most pressing issues.’”
The Australian
So, she’s incapable of ‘consulting with key stakeholders’, as the bureaucratic lexicon goes, as a minister? Is she really so hopeless that she needs a Constitutionally-mandated body to tell her how to do her own job?
And how does any of that justify instilling racial separatism into the Constitution?