Andrew Bolt: Linda Reynolds is too weak a woman to Australia’s handle defence

Australia’s defence minister, Linda Reynolds, is too scared to return to work — begging the question as to why such a fragile woman should be in charge of the defence of this nation.

Linda Reynolds, Australia’s defence minister, is too fragile or scared to come back to work this week.

So why is such a fragile woman in charge of the defence of this nation, in peace and in war?

It’s time she quit – or was sacked, Prime Minister.

Reynolds has already been off work for two weeks after the pressure got too much for her.

It wasn’t just the pressure from not doing a great job.

What apparently broke her was being criticised for not telling Prime Minister Scott Morrison that one of her staffers was allegedly raped in Reynolds’ office two years ago by a colleague.

What’s more, she was accused of not supporting that staffer enough.

Reynolds couldn’t handle it, especially when Morrison publicly rebuked her. She broke down and cried in parliament when asked about a completely unrelated topic.

Liberal senator Linda Reynolds is questioned about Brittany Higgins during Senate Question Time on February 23 Pictur: APH via NCA NewsWire

She also lashed out at the staffer who’d accused her of not showing enough support, calling her a “lying cow” to other staff – a slur which Morrison also criticised and blamed on the “significant stress” Reynolds was under.

But remember: this is stress from being accused of not showing enough empathy. It is not stress from, say, invading Afghanistan or sending young soldiers to their death.

Yet it was enough for Reynolds to be checked into hospital for three days, officially to deal with a pre-existing heart condition that had worsened, no doubt because of the stress.

Now Reynolds says she won’t be back at work for a month, on her cardiologist’s advice.

Journalists were told the cardiologist wants more time to see whether new drugs would work.

Fine, and my sympathies to Reynolds.

But the extended leave will mean Reynolds will avoid being grilled in question time when parliament resumes on March 15. And then grilled again in Senate estimates hearings.

This is unacceptable. If a minister is too delicate to handle the stress of being asked questions in parliament, then she is certainly too delicate to be our defence minister.

That is not a job to which you appoint someone who collapses at being called insensitive. It is too important for a pity hire or an affirmative action candidate.

Reynolds must go. If only for her own health, and not ours.