August 3, 2024
Less than eight hours after being sworn in as Home Affairs Minister this week, Tony Burke was on a plane to Bali for high-level security talks.
Burke, the clear winner from Anthony Albanese's cabinet reshuffle, was due to meet Indonesia's Co-ordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Hadi Tjahjanto, at a summit on transnational security co-operation.
Amid a rise in illegal boat arrivals to Australia, Burke had delicate matters to discuss with his hosts, as well as counterparts from Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand.
But the music diehard did not miss a beat when he was asked to accompany Tjahjanto in a rendition of the 1990s revolutionary anthem, Winds of Change at the official welcome dinner. Burke hastily learnt the chords on Tuesday, before borrowing a guitar and donning a Batik shirt.
He lapped up the cheers from the audience alongside his host, who quickly posted videos of the performance on social media. It was a people-pleasing moment from a skilled politician who has made no secret of the fact that he would one day like to lead his country.
This week, the MP for Watson in Sydney's south and 20-year veteran of federal parliament took on one of the most politically sensitive portfolios for the Albanese government. He's now in charge of stabilising the politics of immigration before the next election, while also holding ministerial responsibilities for cybersecurity, multicultural affairs and the arts.
Not afraid to talk about his own ambitions for the top job, Burke has managed to shepherd two tranches of industrial relations reforms through parliament in Labor's first two years in power. As Labor's Leader of the House, his grasp of parliamentary tactics and procedures regularly out manoeuvres the Coalition. But his new job will be a challenge, with Albanese tasking him to take on all the hard questions on immigration and asylum seekers.
Burke's new super portfolio takes in Home Affairs, previously held by Clare O'Neil, and immigration, where he has replaced Andrew Giles.
It's also a nice side-step. Burke has handballed industrial relations to Queensland senator Murray Watt just as the full fallout of revelations about toxic elements in the CFMEU's leadership were revealed in a landmark investigation by The Australian Financial Review, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes.
O'Neil's move to the housing portfolio is a direct response to the challenge posed by the Greens, whose spokesman Max Chandler-Mather has successfully weaponised housing access and affordability, and the problems facing renters, before the next election.
Immigration has been a tough portfolio for Labor in recent decades.
The Rudd and Gillard governments were crippled by awaveof boat arrivalsanddeaths at sea. Opposition hardliners led by Peter Dutton forcefully insist that the ALP still doesn't have the mettle to enforce strong border settings.
The Coalition mercilessly targeted Giles and Albanese over the government's awkward response to last year's High Court ruling in the NZYQ case.
The court found that Australia's system of indefinite immigration detention was illegal, resulting in the release of 152 people of criminal or dubious character. Many of the released detainees went on to commit new crimes in the community, repeatedly compounding Labor's political woes and fuelling concerns about public safety.
Burke has told colleagues to expect a more forceful rebuttal to critics.
In a sign of what's to come, he used a radio interview from Indonesia to hit back strongly at Coalition spokesman James Paterson this week. The Victorian Liberal has been relentless in pointing to weaknesses in Home Affairs and across national security more broadly.
This week, Burke turned on Paterson, playing the man in response to his criticism regarding a decline in the number of surveillance flights to detect illegal boat arrivals. Paterson also claimed security that checks of Palestinians seeking refuge in Australia were inadequate.
''Can I just say what an idiotic comment from somebody who's clearly never been a minister,'' Burke told ABC Radio on Tuesday. ''It's an idiotic statement, and I'll treat lies with the contempt they deserve.'' First elected to federal parliament in 2004 after a short stint in NSW state politics, Burke has previously served as the minister for agriculture, environment and population, and held opposition portfolios including small business, finance, environment and workplace relations.
Colleagues hope Burke can bring a more muscular approach to immigration, along the lines of Coalition ministers such as Scott Morrison and Dutton. At the end of the Rudd-Gillard turmoil in 2013, Burke held the immigration portfolio for a few months before voters elected Tony Abbott on a promise of stopping the boats.
Abbott quickly showed up on Sky News this week, telling his former staffer Peta Credlin that Burke should begin thenew job with an apology for his record. Burke is sure to receive more of the Sky After Dark treatment by virtue of the portfolio and as a possible future contender for Labor leadership.
Liberal frontbencher Simon Birmingham also fronted up this week, underlying the opposition's confidence that there are points to be scored and votes to be gained by focusing on immigration. He said Burke's portfolio was ''in chaos at multiple levels''.
''He's got to show and demonstrate over coming weeks strong, tough, clear action in cleaning up the detainee mess that he's inherited in getting back on track Operation Sovereign Borders so that there is the typeof tempo and activity that can detect illegal arrivals,'' Birmingham helpfully advised.
It's a fair bet Birmingham and his colleagues hope Burke fails in his chaos cleanup.Onthe other hand, a successful stint will further boost Burke's pitch for leadership.
Burke's colleagues have mixed views on his ambition. While it is usually considered a bit gauche in Canberra to admit to such aspirations, Burke has said previously that he would run to lead the party, provided he thought he was the best person for the job at the time of a vacancy.
He has been careful to stress a collaborative approach to his new task, noting that there are two assistant ministers and two special envoys working with him in the huge portfolio.
But, he said, voters and the media shouldn't expect any change in approach.
''You just be true to yourself,'' he said. ''The moment you try to make up some sort of persona, you'll get found out pretty quickly. You look at the history of me, I've never tried to be anyone other than who I am.'' P You look at the history of me, I've never tried to be anyone other than who I am.
Tony Burke, Home Affairs Minister