Thomas James Burns AO (27 October 1931 – 4 June 2007) was an Australian politician who led the Labor Party (ALP) in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

between 1974 and 1978 and was Deputy Premier of Queensland between 1989 and 1996. He served as the Member for Lytton in the

Parliament of Queensland The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the Monarch of Australia and the Legislative Assembly. It has been the only unicameral s ...

between 1972 and 1996. Burns had previously served as the Federal President of Labor between 1970 and 1973, playing a key role in modernising the party prior to the election of

Gough Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1977, he was notable for being the he ...

as the

Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the Australian Government, federal government of Australia and is also accountable to Parliament of A ...

in 1972.

Early life and career

Tom Burns was born in

Maryborough, Queensland Maryborough ( ) is a city and a suburb in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Maryborough had a population of 15,287. Geography Maryborough is located on the Mary River in Queensland, Australia, approximate ...

in October 1931. After attending

Brisbane Grammar School , motto_translation = Nothing Without Labour , established = 1868 , type = Independent, day & boarding , gender = Boys , denomination = Non-denominational , slogan = , key_people = , ci ...

, he spent six years in the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

before becoming involved in politics. Burns worked as an organiser for the Labor Party between 1960 and 1965 before his promotion to the position as Queensland State Secretary of the ALP. As State Secretary, he played a critical role in persuading the Queensland delegates to the National Executive to vote against the expulsion of Whitlam from the ALP in 1966. Senior people wanted Burns to become the National Secretary of the Australian Labor Party in 1969 where he would run the party's campaign in the 1969 Federal election. When he was reluctant,

Mick Young Michael Jerome Young (9 October 19368 April 1996) was an Australian politician. He rose through the Australian Labor Party (ALP) to become its National Secretary, before serving as a Labor member of the House of Representatives from the 1974 ...

was appointed as the National Secretary. He was elected as the National President of the ALP in 1970. Burns was heavily involved in Federal intervention in the

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and Victorian branches, conducting a report into the affairs of the NSW Branch and taking over administrative responsibility with Young for the Victorian Branch. His report on the NSW Branch was critical of the running of the 1968 preselection of

Paul Keating Paul John Keating (born 18 January 1944) is an Australian former politician and unionist who served as the 24th prime minister of Australia from 1991 to 1996, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He previously serv ...

as the candidate for the

Division of Blaxland The Division of Blaxland is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. Blaxland runs from the North Shore and Western railway line in the north to Marion Street and the Bankstown railway line in the south, between Wood ...

. The Federal intervention into the Victorian and NSW branches was a critical factor in Labor's success in the 1972 Federal election.

Parliamentary career

At the 1972 Queensland election, Burns was elected as the member for Lytton, which is a safe Labor seat.ABC Queensland Election Guide Lytton
/ref> He took over the leadership of the Queensland branch of the Labor Party in 1974 after Labor was reduced to a "

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

team" of 11 members. Burns managed to gain 12 seats in the 1977 election but the Coalition continued to enjoy a healthy majority. He resigned as leader of the Labor Party in 1978.News Limited, "Former deputy Queensland premier dies" 4 June 2007
/ref> In 1984, Burns was elected as Deputy Leader of the ALP with

Nev Warburton Neville George Warburton (23 February 1932 – 5 August 2018) was an Australian politician from Queensland, who served as leader of the opposition from 1984 to 1988, and as a minister in the Goss Ministry from 1989 to 1992. Career Early career ...

as Leader. He retained the Deputy Leadership when

Wayne Goss Wayne Keith Goss (26 February 1951 – 10 November 2014) was Premier of Queensland from 7 December 1989 until 19 February 1996, becoming the first Labor Premier of the state in over thirty two years. Prior to entering politics, Goss was a solic ...

became the leader, and served as Deputy Premier between 1989 and 1996, holding a variety of ministerial portfolios. Burns retired from the Deputy Leadership and from the Parliament in 1996.

Later years

Burns remained active in public life after his retirement from politics. He had a long-term interest in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

having been a member of the first

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n delegation to China in the 1970s led by Gough Whitlam. In July 1999, the Beattie Government appointed him as Chair of the Queensland-China Council and he was made an Officer of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in 2001 for his contribution to Australia's relationship with China.It's an Honour: AO
/ref> Burns died in June 2007, aged 75.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burns, Tom 1931 births 2007 deaths Deputy Premiers of Queensland Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Leaders of the Opposition in Queensland Officers of the Order of Australia Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland 20th-century Australian politicians