Linda Burney is sincere, but not suitable to be face of the Yes campaign for the Indigenous voice to parliament

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney.

Linda Burney is a suitable, sincere and genuine face for the Indigenous voice to parliament but she is not up to being the voice for the Yes campaign for the constitutional referendum.

Whether this failure is through inability to perform publicly in parliament, press conferences and public meetings is a result of a “mini stroke”, a heart operation or medication is immaterial.

As Indigenous Australians Minister, Burney has been in the hot seat of the Labor government from the moment on election night Anthony Albanese gave top priority to a referendum to a constitutional Indigenous voice to parliament and executive government.

Burney is feeling the heat in that seat as the Yes campaign prepares to launch its official $100 million, six-week campaign to change the constitution because the Prime Minister put her there.

Albanese made her the lead cabinet minister on Indigenous affairs and he did so knowing the intensity of the referendum campaign, Labor’s need for success, the importance to the nation and, significantly now, more than two years after she had suffered, and recovered from, a transient ischaemic attack or TIA.

On the eve of the official announcement of the referendum date Albanese is “briefing out” that he will not be campaigning every day on the voice and in his words will be “walking and chewing gum at the same time”.

Albanese is now caught in a political trap of his own making because he wanted to blame Peter Dutton if the referendum failed and accuse him of irrelevance if it won. But the PM now faces the dilemma of not being able to let the referendum fail while equally not being seen to be neglecting the huge impact of rising cost of living.

There is the whiff here of not just political realism but also of excuses.

At the same time Burney, in a requested interview, sought to respond to “whispering” about her health and revealed, variously, that changes to her speaking voice and possibly confusion were the result of the “mini-stroke”, a side effect of a heart operation or continuing medication.

But, Burney has also declared she is “fighting fit”, there “absolutely no issues with my health now” and her doctors have said there was a full recovery with no residual effect and there was “no bearing” on her ability to perform her duties “as a minister of the crown”.

No-one should suffer stigma from health problems and be allowed to continue to work if recovered. Equally if someone is unable to continue to do their job because of health there has to be some adjustment made as much for them as anyone else.

It has been clear for months Burney has been unable to answer simple questions about the voice to parliament, even in sympathetic interviews, that she has ministerial colleagues on hand at public meetings to help her sell the voice and in parliament her inability to handle basic requests for information is embarrassing to all.

Burney has dismissed any ‘whispers’ her health is hampering her ability to campaign for the voice.

To be fair Burney doesn’t have much detail to frame an argument beyond a sincere emotional appeal but as a cabinet minister and the lead on the Indigenous voice, after Albanese himself, she is expected to do better politically, think on her feet and not have to rely on her colleagues’ protection in her own portfolio.

Burney has declared she is absolutely fit for the job and Albanese has backed her in and described her strength and tenacity. Albanese put her in the job and has kept her there. There is no room for excuses or day passes during the next weeks of what threatens to be a brutal political campaign for a fundamental constitutional change for a voice to parliament and executive government.

Burney is either fit for the job as she says or she’s not; either way Albanese has committed her to the task and can’t expect special treatment or prepare excuses as the Yes campaign begins officially and from behind.