Is Linda Burney set for a historic new role? Growing speculation minister responsible for the ‘Yes’ campaign could be bound for a new challenge

EXCLUSIVE

Linda Burney has refused to deny growing speculation that she is the frontrunner to become Australia’s next governor-general.

By appointing the senior Labor minister to the role, Ms Burney, 66, would become the first ever Aboriginal Australian to become head of state.

When contacted by Daily Mail Australia about the speculation, she did not deny that she had at least been sounded out to replace outgoing Governor-General David Hurley.

“The minister does not wish to comment,” said a spokesperson for her office.

Although the position will become available in July 2024, Daily Mail Australia has been told that Anthony Albanese will make his recommendations to King Charles III by the end of the year.

Mr Albanese’s office was also contacted for comment.

Mr Albanese and Ms Burney are close allies and friends, and their Sydney electorates Grayndler and Barton sit next to each other.

The Minister for Indigenous Australians, who previously held the seat of Canterbury in the NSW Parliament, largely credits the Prime Minister for encouraging her to run for federal politics.

A well-placed source told Daily Mail Australia that Ms Burney’s move to Governor-General had “been on the agenda for some time” and was “openly discussed” by some who led the failed Yes campaign.

At its peak, support for the Voice to Parliament was around 65 percent, but the Yes23 campaign failed to maintain this momentum and within just a few months approval had plummeted.

Another Canberra source said Ms Burney’s move to governor-general would allow the promotion of Malarndirri McCarthy as assistant minister after the senator’s strong performance when she was brought in towards the end of the referendum campaign. to promote the Yes campaign.

She received much praise for the way she handled heated discussions and difficult questions about the proposal, which already scored poorly.

There are growing calls for the Prime Minister to recommend a First Nations person for the role as a step forward towards reconciliation.

The role involves serving as King Charles’s representative in Australia and carrying out constitutional and ceremonial duties as Australia’s head of state.

The governor general is commander-in-chief of the defense force and is responsible for appointing ministers and swearing in key positions. The governor general also has the power to dismiss a prime minister if he has lost the party’s support or broken the law.

These reserve powers are rarely used.

Political analyst Peter van Onselen agreed that appointing an Aboriginal Australian to this role would promote reconciliation, and he believed most Australians would ‘welcome the move’.

“I’m just not sure that person should be Linda Burney,” he said, after criticizing her ability to answer tough questions on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament and refusing to debate her coalition opponent, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.

“Her poor advocacy was a major reason why the Yes case lost. She is clearly biased too. But I understand why Albo would be pleased to appoint her to this role.’

Mr van Onselen described Ms Burney as “a parliamentary artist (who) deserves replacement in her ministerial role”.

“But dumping her would be a terrible sight,” he said. ‘Imagine doing that to a Minister of Indigenous Affairs immediately after the defeat of the referendum.’

Mr Van Onselen said Labor senator Pat Dodson or former Liberal Ken Wyatt would be better options for the role.

Mr Dodson is often referred to as ‘the father of reconciliation’, while Mr Wyatt was Australia’s first Indigenous MP and minister of the House of Commons.

However, Mr Dodson is being treated for cancer in Western Australia.

“Ken Wyatt would be a show of bipartisanship. He was a proponent of Yes and was both Australia’s first Indigenous House of Commons MP and the first Minister for Indigenous Affairs.”

Former Libera senator Eric Abetz, who is now campaign chairman at the Australian Monarchist League, told Daily Mail Australia that Ms Burney’s role in the Voice campaign should exclude her from discussions about the future governor-general.

“The position of Governor-General is that of protector of the Australian Constitution and Australia’s parliamentary system, alongside the Head of State of Australia,” he said.

“The Governor General cannot bring with him his pet projects or prejudices from his past life.

“They must leave their ’causes’ behind and commit themselves to neutrality so that all Australians can have confidence in their independence should they be called upon to make constitutional or parliamentary rulings.

‘In the current climate it would be inappropriate to name any of the key players in the recent referendum campaign.’

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has never shied away from his desire for Australia to secede from the monarchy and become a republic.

He made his intentions known by appointing Matt Thistlethwaite as Assistant Minister for the Republic after his election in 2022.

He swore allegiance to King Charles at his coronation in May and despite being a ‘lifelong republican’, he insisted he had ‘great respect’ for the king.

And he assured the public, both in Australia and abroad, that a referendum on whether Australia should become a republic is out of the question in the near future.

“What I don’t want is to be a prime minister who only chairs constitutional debates,” he said at the time.