Could Linda Burney be the next Governor General?

Failing upwards is sometimes the dream: you can be bad at a job and instead of being fired you’re promoted or moved into a cushion job, just to get you out of the way.

And so it is that Linda Burney is apparently being considered for Governor General. This news is coming via the Daily Mail. I’m not sure it is very reliable. Peta Credlin and Ben Fordham have reported on it. Apparently, Linda Burney is giving a “no comment” in response to questions about it. However, it begs the question of whether this rumor makes sense.

We can see why there is discussion: the Governor General post will become vacant in 2024, whereupon the Prime Minister – Anthony Albanese – will recommend potential replacements. The King would then typically approve the replacement unless there is an egregious issue with the recommendation.

One can see the superficial attraction of this: Linda Burney performed poorly during the voice referendum. Promoting her to Governor General would enable the government to move her along without it looking like a demotion or a penalty. Her performance was marked by a complete failure to answer reasonable questions and a steadfast refusal to engage in debates with opponents.

This would also make Linda Burney Australia’s first indigenous governor general, which seems to have garnered support. This is the type of identity politics move Anthony Albanese might like.

Subscribed

On the other hand, we see major problems:

First, Linda Burney cannot communicate well. Linda Burney was abysmal during the referendum. She failed to communicate in a convincing manner. She did not answer questions. This reached farcical levels when she simply read the referendum text when asked questions about that very same text. It would be appalling for someone to perform poorly only to be promoted to Australia’s head of state.

The governor general must also speak frequently and eloquently in public. The position should not be political and the governor general should not weigh into political arguments. But, the governor general must be able to communicate. She fails this test.

Second, Linda Burney is too partisan. A governor general is supposed to be non-partisan. Politicians have become governor generals. However, typically, they are either distant from their political career or were seen as widely palatable. Linda Burney is a labor stalwart and currently sits in parliament. It is inappropriate to appoint a sitting politician of either side to the post.

Third, Linda Burney is a republican. She does not support the monarchy. Many Australians are republicans. A republican ought only become a governor general if they can credibly put those views to one side while serving in the role. This is because the governor general is the King’s representative in Australia. Wishing to sever the monarch’s connection to Australia is fundamentally incompatible with being the monarch’s representative. It would be as absurd as appointing a vegan to run a cattle ranch.

Fourth, it would be catastrophic electorally. Given the aforementioned issues, appointing Linda Burney as governor general would cement Anthony Albanese’s demise at the next election. It would look nepotistic to appoint her in this context. Giving plum jobs for the Albo’s mates is unlikely to play well electorally.

Therefore, Linda Burney is probably not a credible contender. It is possible that Anthony Albanese will seek to appoint an indigenous governor general. This might be presented as a path to reconciliation in the wake of the referendum. However, the governor general should be appointed based on merit rather than identity characteristics. After all, the Fair Work Act Section 351 specifically prohibits this type of discrimination in an ordinary employment context. Surely we should hold the government to the same standard when selecting one of the most important offices in Australia.

Anthony Albanese does have form promoting and advocating poor policy positions, however. He did adopt and pursue a maximalist Voice proposal. He does seem to be focused on his ‘legacy’ in the areas of indigenous advocacy. Bad policy has not stopped Anthony Albanese in the past. Thus, while Linda Burney is a bad candidate for Governor General, it is certainly possible that Anthony Albanese would nominate her.