In her retirement, Linda Burney leaves behind a long legacy
Let's get more now on Linda Burney's retirement announcement. She was the first aboriginal woman to serve as Minister for Indigenous Australians. The general manager for the Koori Mail Naomi Moran takes us through her legacy.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00I guess, firstly, I want to acknowledge, as many of our First Nations people and communities
00:07are today, acknowledging the incredible career and legacy of her work, spending over two
00:13decades serving the Australian community and, importantly, Aboriginal and Torres Strait
00:17Islander people and communities around the nation in her leadership.
00:21And I think, you know, listening to that press conference this morning, the words of the
00:27Prime Minister and certainly her words about this decision for her and her career and what
00:34this means, you know, for our people and communities, I think regardless of what political views
00:39in this country you have, you can't take away from the fact that she certainly has served
00:44in her role with incredible cultural responsibility, as mentioned, as the first Indigenous person
00:50elected to the New South Wales Parliament, first Indigenous person in the House of Representatives
00:55and the first Indigenous woman appointed by our current Prime Minister.
00:58And certainly, I'm sure she's self-celebrating, as many of us will, her illustrious career
01:05and acknowledges that she won't be the last Indigenous person representing our nation
01:10in politics across all those levels.
01:12The respect that she's been shown by our people and communities around the nation is certainly
01:18evident in her ability to engage and connect with our people and communities on agendas
01:22and issues that are of utmost importance and certainly priority for the future of our people
01:27and for our people and their livelihoods now and today.
01:30But, you know, that being said, you can understand that as a First Nations person and First Nations
01:36woman that over the years there have been countless challenges and obstacles that she
01:41has faced.
01:42You know, those that have been very public, those that we'll never know.
01:46With the expectation by our people and communities on what that responsibility looked like in
01:51her leadership as a First Nations person.
01:54And, you know, I'm sure communities around the nation have felt let down given the structures
02:00and frameworks of the work that she's worked in.
02:03And I'm sure she's felt too that she could have done more.
02:06I think we need to acknowledge the incredible resilience in her ability to keep fighting
02:09despite those challenges and obstacles and the strength of her dedication, her commitment,
02:14her willingness to put her hand up and to step into those environments that we know
02:18historically have been culturally unsafe for our people.
02:21And that resilience and that willingness to contribute is how we create change and influence
02:25decision making in this nation.
02:27And we can only hope that that continues to be of support for strong futures for our people,
02:34you know, through the next generations as she so wants for our people and communities.
02:41But you can't deny that one of the greatest examples of her leadership was being vulnerable
02:44in her efforts to push that national agenda with a voice to parliament with such hope
02:48and conviction in the Australian community.
02:50And again, a responsibility that was something that she had to carry against perhaps a double
02:57edged sword in her role because she is an Aboriginal woman.
03:00And the expectation from the 6.5 million voters that voted yes and thought that they were
03:05part of a larger number that could have created history and gotten that vote across the line,
03:11you know, navigating that with the reality that perhaps with, you know, time and more
03:14opportunity to engage and connect with our communities and the nation in the conversation
03:19prior to the vote, perhaps could have supported the outcome that she had hoped for in her
03:23time as Minister for Indigenous Australians.