Interview with Leaders - Linda Jean Burney

'I don’t actually call myself a leader, I prefer to describe myself as an Aboriginal person that’s in a leadership position. I think that’s due to the fact that leadership is a really Western construct for Aboriginal people, it’s often something that the media or White Australia dubs you as, instead of the Aboriginal community saying ‘you are one of the leaders we see’. Linda Jean Burney, HonDEd, DipEd MP.

A member of the Wiradjuri nation, Linda Burney was born in Whitton, a small Riverina farming community and schooled at nearby Leeton. Completing senior school at Penrith High School, she won a government scholarship and was first Aboriginal person to gain a Diploma of Teaching at Mitchell College of Advanced Education (now Bathurst campus of Charles Sturt University).

Linda is the first Aboriginal woman to be elected into the NSW Parliament, for the seat of Canterbury in 2003. Linda has a high profile at state and national levels, in education and training as well as in Aboriginal affairs. She is also the former Director General for the NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs.

Linda has chaired and been a member of boards and committees at both state and national levels including the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission National Social Justice Task Force; National Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation; NSW State Reconciliation Committee; the Media, Education and Consultative Committee and the Events Sub-committee which coordinated the 1997 Australian Reconciliation Convention; NSW Board of Studies; NSW Juvenile Justice Advisory Council; NSW Centenary of Federation Board and the NSW Advisory Committee for the International Year of Volunteers 2001 and Australian Volunteers International.

Linda represented Australia in meetings in Geneva of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations, and was involved in World Indigenous Peoples’ Conferences: Education in 1990, 1993 and 1996.

Linda’s work has been recognised by receiving the Centenary Medal, Honorary Doctorate Charles Sturt University, Named as one of 10 'True Leaders' of Australia by the Australian Financial Review’s inaugural 'Boss' magazines, Lipton’s Australian Women’s Quality Award, NSW TAFE Medal and the NSW Department of School Education Director General Award for Outstanding Service to Public Schools.

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Centre for Leadership for Women

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http://www.leadershipforwomen.com.au/