1983. She was involved in the New South Wales Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (NSW AEGG) from the 1983 to 1998, participating in the development and implementation of the first Aboriginal education policy in Australia. She became president of AEGG in 1988. Aboriginal Affairs In 1998 Burney was appointed deputy director general of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs (NSW), and assumed the role of director general from 2000 to 2003. Political career Labor Party involvement Burney is a member of Labor Left. In 2006 she was elected National Vice-President of the Australian Labor Party, and during 2008 and 2009 served as National President. NSW state parliament When Burney was elected as the Member for Canterbury in 2003, she became the first Aboriginal person to serve in the NSW Parliament. In her inaugural speech to the Legislative Assembly she said: Burney was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Training in 2005. Following the 2007 election Burney became Minister for Fair Trading, Minister for Youth, and Minister for Volunteering. In September 2008, she was promoted to Minister for Community Services, and in December 2009 she was appointed Minister for the State Plan. Burney's appointment as Minister for Community Services was two months prior to the handing down of the report of the Special Commission of Inquiry into Child Protection Services by retired Supreme Court Justice James Wood in November 2008. She was the lead minister in a whole of government reform plan, "Keep Them Safe", that commenced implementing the recommendations of the inquiry. As Minister, Burney was the inaugural patron of the NSW Volunteer of the Year Award, a major NSW Government supported initiative. Burney held the community services and state plan portfolios until ALP's defeat at the 2011 state election. Following the election, Burney was elected as Deputy Leader of the Labor Party and Deputy Leader of the Opposition after former Deputy Premier Carmel Tebbutt chose not to stand for the position. She also became the Shadow Minister for Planning, Infrastructure and Heritage, Shadow Minister for the Central Coast and the Hunter and Shadow Minister for Sport and Recreation. On 23 December 2014, as deputy leader, Burney became the interim leader of the opposition after the resignation of John Robertson, and was then re-elected as deputy leader to Luke Foley. Burney was also the Shadow Minister for Education and Shadow Minister for Aboriginal Affairs until her resignation from state parliament. Federal parliament