Voting referendum: Linda Burney caught on hot mic criticizing ‘racism and bullying’ she faced in parliament
Linda Burney has been recorded telling NSW Premier Chris Minns that she had been the victim of “racism and bullying” in Parliament over the past two weeks.
The conversation was captured on camera at a Yes23 campaign event in support of Indigenous Voice to Parliament in the duo’s Kogarah electorate in Sydney on Friday morning.
She said: ‘We’ve just had two weeks of a grueling parliament… to me it’s just incredibly racist and bullying.
‘The way they treated me is terrible.’
Mr Minns started to say ‘hey, you know what…’ before adding ‘yes’.
It is unclear whether the pair knew they were being filmed.
The conversation was caught on camera at a Yes23 campaign event in support of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament in the duo’s electorate of Kogarah in Sydney on Friday morning.
Ms Burney, the Minister for Indigenous Australians who is spearheading the government’s referendum stage, faced a barrage of questions on The Voice.
This week was the last week of parliament sitting before the referendum, and the Yes campaign is keen to take the debate beyond Canberra and reach ordinary Australians.
In the house, Ms Burney was asked to reflect on comments she made several years ago about the treaty, and to elaborate on Professor Marcia Langton’s fiery, unearthed Voice videos.
She was repeatedly criticized by opposition members for failing to answer what they said were “tight” questions, often instead referring back to prepared notes on the proposal.
Ms Burney faced a total of fourteen questions over the course of the week, including some from her own party.
With parliament over until after the referendum, Labor politicians and affiliated Yes campaigners hope to step up their efforts to connect with communities across Australia.
Despite declining support in the polls, the campaign is still confident it can achieve a victory, relying on ‘soft’ No voters and Australians who have not yet entered the debate at all.
It’s a high hurdle to clear: for the referendum to be successful, a majority of Australians in most states must vote ‘Yes’.
She said: ‘We’ve just had two weeks of a grueling parliament… just incredibly racist and bullying. The way they treated me is terrible.”
Minister of Indigenous Affairs Linda Burney (photo middle) wants the Voice to advise on health care, education, employment and housing
The Resolve Political Monitor’s latest survey found that 43 percent of voters supported a plan to enshrine the Vote in the Constitution, a decline of 20 percentage points from a year ago.
Ms Burney has pledged to ask the Voice body to consider the “key priority areas” of health, education, employment and housing if the referendum is successful.
However, The Voice will not limit itself to advising on only these specific topics.
Ms Burney said the advisory body would have “a full submission” from day one.
‘Unlike the government, it will not be distracted by the three-year election cycles. It will plan for the next generation, not the next term. It will focus on creating a better future for the next generation,” she will say in a speech on Wednesday.
The percentage of Australians in favor of the referendum has fallen for the fifth month in a row and since the last survey Victoria has swung to a majority No, leaving Tasmania as the only state left in the Yes camp
Ms Burney has pledged to work closely with the Voice body in her role as minister, and will ask whether it helps ‘solve the most pressing problems’.
“When I meet the Voice for the first time, I will say, bring me your ideas on how we can prevent our people from committing suicide,” she said.
“Give me your ideas about how we can help our children go to school and thrive. Bring me your ideas on how we can ensure that our crowd lives strong and healthy lives. How we get more people into jobs – with the independence and purpose that brings.
‘How we strengthen culture and language. How we can better support families. How we keep our 65,000 years of culture alive and stronger.’
Ms Burney said she hopes a voice to parliament will focus on the “systemic and structural disadvantage” of Indigenous Australians in a speech to the National Press Club in July.
She referenced the Closing the Gap statistics that show how First Nations people face higher incarceration rates and a greater chance of dying younger.