Brian Burke (Australian politician)
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Brian Thomas Burke (born 25 February 1947) is an Australian former politician who was the 23rd
premier of Western Australia The premier of Western Australia is the head of government of the state of Western Australia. The role of premier at a state level is similar to the role of the prime minister of Australia at a federal level. The premier leads the executive bra ...
from 25 February 1983 to his resignation on 25 February 1988. He was a member of the
Western Australian Legislative Assembly The Western Australian Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Western Australia, an Australian state. The Parliament sits in Parliament House in the Western Australian capital, Perth. The Legisla ...
from 30 March 1973 to 25 February 1988, representing the electoral districts of
Balga Balga (russian: замок Бальга; german: Burg Balga; lt, Balga; pl, Balga) was a medieval castle of the Teutonic Knights in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. The castle ruins are located on the shore of the Vistula Lagoon, north of Mamonovo ...
and Balcatta at various points, and was the leader of the Australian Labor Party in Western Australia from 18 September 1981 to 25 February 1988. Burke studied law at the
University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...
for one year before dropping out. During the 1960s and early 1970s, he worked as a journalist for ''
The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...
'' newspaper, 6PM radio station, and Seven News Perth. He was elected to Parliament at the
1973 Balcatta state by-election A by-election for the seat of Balcatta in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia was held on 28 July 1973. It was triggered by the resignation of Herb Graham, the deputy premier in the Labor government of John Tonkin, on 30 May 1973. Lik ...
, becoming one of the most popular local members over the following years. In 1981, he became the leader of the Labor Party in a
leadership spill In Australian politics, a leadership spill (or simply spill) is a colloquialism referring to a declaration that the leadership of a parliamentary party is vacant and open for contest. A spill may involve all or some of the leadership positions (le ...
. He led the Labor Party to its first election victory since
1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...
at the 1983 Western Australian state election, defeating the Liberal-National government of
Ray O'Connor Raymond James O'Connor (6 March 1926 – 25 February 2013) was an Australian politician who served as the premier of Western Australia from 25 January 1982 to 25 February 1983. He was a member of parliament from 1959 to 1984, and a minister in ...
. His achievements as Premier include the reopening the
Fremantle railway line The Fremantle line is a suburban railway and service in Western Australia that connects the central business district (CBD) of Perth with Fremantle. History The railway on which the service runs opened on 1 March 1881 as the first suburban rai ...
, abolishing capital punishment, banning nuclear power, and implementing electoral reform. He was also at the centre of the
WA Inc WA Inc was a political scandal in Western Australia. In the 1980s, the state government, which was led for much of the period by premier Brian Burke, engaged in business dealings with several prominent businessmen, including Alan Bond, Laurie ...
scandal, in which his cosy relationships with entrepreneurs led the state to losing hundreds of millions of dollars. This included providing a $150 million guarantee to the
Rothwells Lawrence Robert "Laurie" Connell (died 27 February 1996) was a Western Australian business entrepreneur. As chairman of the Rothwells merchant bank, he was well known for his dealings with the Government of Western Australia and his close rela ...
bank following the
October 1987 stock market crash Black Monday is the name commonly given to the global, sudden, severe, and largely unexpected stock market crash on Monday, October 19, 1987. In Australia and New Zealand, the day is also referred to as ''Black Tuesday'' because of the time zo ...
. A year later, Rothwells went into liquidation. Burke resigned as Premier and as a member of Parliament exactly five years after taking office, while still having a high popularity. He was succeeded by
Peter Dowding Peter McCallum Dowding SC (born 6 October 1943) is an Australian lawyer and former politician who served as the 24th Premier of Western Australia, from 25 February 1988 until his forced resignation on 12 February 1990. He was a member of parli ...
, who went on to win the 1989 state election. In June 1988, he was appointed a Companion to 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 ...
. Burke then became the Australian Ambassador to Ireland and the
Australian Ambassador to the Holy See The Ambassador of Australia to the Holy See is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the Embassy of the Commonwealth of Australia to the Holy See. The first nominee for this position was Dudley McC ...
. He resigned from those positions in 1991, having to face the WA Inc royal commission. Although not found criminally responsible for anything relating to WA Inc, the royal commission discovered that he had falsely claimed $17,000 from a parliamentary travel account between 1984 and 1986. In July 1994, he was sentenced to two years in prison, but was released on parole after having served seven months. In April 1995, he was stripped of his Order of Australia honour. In March 1997, he was found guilty of stealing $122,585 in campaign donations to the Labor Party. He was sentenced to three years jail, but served six months before the conviction was quashed on appeal. In the 2000s and early 2010s, Burke continued to maintain his Labor party contacts and parliamentary influence, using them to further his career as a pro-business
lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...
. He worked both sides of politics in partnership with disgraced former ministerial colleague
Julian Grill Julian Fletcher Grill (born 15 May 1940) is an Australian former politician. Grill was a member of the Parliament of Western Australia between 1977 and 2001. Early life and education Grill was born in Sydney, New South Wales and was brought u ...
and assisted by former senator
Noel Crichton-Browne Noel Ashley Crichton-Browne (born 2 February 1944 at Wiluna, Western Australia) is a former member of the Australian Senate and political lobbyist. Early life Crichton-Browne was educated at Scotch College, Perth. Before his career in politics ...
.


Early life and career

Burke was born on 25 February 1947 at St John of God Hospital, Subiaco, in the western suburbs of
Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
, Western Australia. His parents were Tom Burke, an
Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...
politician in the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
from 1943 to 1955, and Madeline Muirson Orr. Tom Burke had Irish ancestry, and was deeply
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. Madeline Orr was of Irish and Scottish ancestry. Brian Burke was the third child out of five: the first child was Terence Joseph "Terry" Burke, who also grew up to be a politician. He also had an older sister, a younger brother, and a younger sister. In his early years, Brian was quite independent as his parents focused on his younger brother Frank, who had
down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...
, and his father was often in
Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
. He grew up in the middle-class
Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
suburb of
Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
, living in a California bungalow set on a
quarter acre In Australian and New Zealand English, a quarter acre is a term for a suburban plot of land. Traditionally, Australians and New Zealanders aspired to own a 3- or 4-bedroom house or bungalow on a section of around a quarter of an acre (about 1,000 sq ...
block. From 1952 to 1954, he was educated at Brigidine Primary School in Wembley, a Catholic school run by Irish nuns, and from 1955 to 1964, he was educated at St Joseph's Marist Brothers College in Subiaco. Burke met his future wife Suzanne May Nevill at a school dance class when they were both 16. Several months later, they started going out, and on 11 September 1965, they married each other at St Francis Xavier's Church in
East Perth East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sunrise, Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from ...
. That year, he was studying law at the
University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...
(UWA), but he switched to part-time study when he got a job in September 1965 as a cadet proof-reader at West Australian Newspapers Ltd. with help from his father. For the following two years, he studied economics part-time at UWA, but he dropped out completely after that. In 1967, he became a cadet journalist for ''
The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...
'', in 1969, he worked as a journalist for the 6PM radio station, and from 1970 to 1973, he worked for Seven News Perth. Whilst at ''The West Australian'', Burke was assigned to collect horse race results at Gloucester Park. Seeing that there was no
form Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens. Form also refers to: *Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter data ...
guide being sold, he decided to start his own, forming the ''Punters' Guide'' with a group of university Labor branch members, including
John Dawkins John Sydney "Joe" Dawkins, AO (born 2 March 1947) is an Australian former politician who was Treasurer in the Keating Labor government from December 1991 to December 1993. He is notable for his reforms of tertiary education as Minister for E ...
and
Kim Beazley Kim Christian Beazley (born 14 December 1948) is an Australian former politician and diplomat. He was leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and leader of the opposition from 1996 to 2001 and 2005 to 2006, having previously been a cabinet ...
. Some of the profits raised went to the Labor Party. At the peak of its popularity, the ''Punters' Guide'' sold 16,000 copies. Meanwhile, Burke and his wife lived "on the bones of their arses" for several years, moving into a State Housing Commission home in 1970 before eventually being able to put a deposit on a home in
Balga Balga (russian: замок Бальга; german: Burg Balga; lt, Balga; pl, Balga) was a medieval castle of the Teutonic Knights in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. The castle ruins are located on the shore of the Vistula Lagoon, north of Mamonovo ...
, a working-class suburb north of Perth. By the age of 24, Burke had three children.


Political beginnings

Burke's brother Terry was elected to the
Western Australian Legislative Assembly The Western Australian Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Western Australia, an Australian state. The Parliament sits in Parliament House in the Western Australian capital, Perth. The Legisla ...
in 1968, representing the
electoral district of Perth The Electoral district of Perth is a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Western Australia. Perth is named for the capital city of Western Australia whose central business district falls within its borders. It is one of the oldest ...
. In 1973, on the same day that
Herb Graham Herbert Ernst Graham (6 April 1911 – 17 March 1982) was an Australian politician. Biography Graham was born in Narrogin, Western Australia on 6 April 1911 to parents from South Australia. Graham attended school in Narrogin and Northam. H ...
, the deputy premier and member for Balcatta, announced his retirement from politics, Burke made his decision to seek Labor
preselection Preselection is the process by which a candidate is selected, usually by a political party, to contest an election for political office. It is also referred to as candidate selection. It is a fundamental function of political parties. The presele ...
for Balcatta. He faced an uphill battle, with state secretary Joe Chamberlain wanting Patricia Giles preselected. With the help of Terry and a particularly good performance by Burke at a preselection meeting, he became Labor's candidate for Balcatta. As the Labor Party only had a one seat majority, the ensuing by-election would determine whether it would remain in office. Having undertaken an opinion poll of the seat, Burke realised he was most likely not going to win, so he asked acting state secretary
Kim Beazley Kim Christian Beazley (born 14 December 1948) is an Australian former politician and diplomat. He was leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and leader of the opposition from 1996 to 2001 and 2005 to 2006, having previously been a cabinet ...
for money to fund his campaign. Beazley gave Burke's campaign $6,000, which was all the money in the party's electoral account, angering Chamberlain as the money was meant for the upcoming full state election. At the ensuing by-election on 28 July 1973, Burke defeated the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
candidate by 30 votes as measured on a
two-party-preferred In Australian politics, the two-party-preferred vote (TPP or 2PP) is the result of an election or opinion poll after preferences have been distributed to the highest two candidates, who in some cases can be independents. For the purposes of TPP, ...
basis. He was sworn into Parliament on 5 August 1973. At the 1974 state election on 30 March, he was elected to the newly-created seat of
Balga Balga (russian: замок Бальга; german: Burg Balga; lt, Balga; pl, Balga) was a medieval castle of the Teutonic Knights in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. The castle ruins are located on the shore of the Vistula Lagoon, north of Mamonovo ...
after Balcatta was abolished. At that election, the Labor Party led by
John Tonkin John Trezise Tonkin AC (2 February 1902 – 20 October 1995), popularly known as "Honest John", was an Australian politician. A member of the Labor Party, he served as a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for a record 44 ...
lost their majority, and
Charles Court Sir Charles Walter Michael Court, (29 September 1911 – 22 December 2007) was a Western Australian politician, and the 21st Premier of Western Australia from 1974 to 1982. He was a member of the Liberal Party. Early life Court's family e ...
from the Liberal Party became
premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
. Burke was one of the few Labor Party politicians to increase their vote at that election. Over the following five to six years, Burke had a low profile within the party, however he built up support in his electorate, with him eventually becoming one of the most popular local members ever. He became known as the "Godfather of Balga", although not in a pejorative way. Burke would often come up with ideas for raising money for the Labor Party, including that the party start a printing press and open a Chinese restaurant. Other members of his branch would talk the ideas down. Many other people in the party would criticise Burke due to his unprofessional nature and lack of concern for policy development. He once spoke at a press conference whilst wearing a
caftan A kaftan or caftan (; fa, خفتان, ) is a variant of the robe or tunic. Originating in Asia, it has been worn by a number of cultures around the world for thousands of years. In Russian usage, ''kaftan'' instead refers to a style of men's ...
. Another time, Burke suggested to Tonkin "...any business person looking for a government contract—you don’t get a contract unless you kick into (contribute to) the party." He was seen as a
larrikin Larrikin is an Australian English term meaning "a mischievous young person, an uncultivated, rowdy but good hearted person", or "a person who acts with apparent disregard for social or political conventions". In the 19th and early 20th centurie ...
. Instead of being part of any Labor Party factions, Burke chose to build alliances with others in the party from either faction. He was skilled at networking and attracting people to be loyal to him. In 1977, he was convicted of drink driving, dangerous driving, and failing to stop after an accident. He was fined $390 and had his driver's licence suspended for six months. His political career remained undamaged, and he decided to lose weight and give up alcohol. Burke joined the shadow ministry in April 1977, being appointed by Labor leader
Colin Jamieson Colin John Jamieson, AO JP (26 May 1923 – 27 March 1990), was a politician in Western Australia. A member of the Labor Party, he served as a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1953 until 1986, as the Minister for Wo ...
as the shadow minister for works, water supplies, and housing. In March 1978, new Labor leader Ron Davies appointed Burke as the shadow minister for housing, and the chief secretary. From 7 March 1980, Burke was the shadow minister for water resources, housing, and consumer affairs. In the late 1970s, Burke made several speeches opposing the
Vietnamese boat people Vietnamese boat people ( vi, Thuyền nhân Việt Nam), also known simply as boat people, refers to the refugees who fled Vietnam by boat and ship following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. This migration and humanitarian crisis was at its h ...
. He told the '' Daily News'' on 29 May 1978 that "these Vietnamese coming here in boats were not genuine refugees". On 23 August 1978, he said to Parliament "how many members of this House can say that all the refugees coming here are genuine? Can a refugee be defined as being genuine if they have the ability to commandeer a boat and come to this country?" In 1980, Burke began to prominently campaign against the death penalty. He made headlines by calling for public executions in places such as
Forrest Place Forrest Place is a pedestrianised square located within the CBD of Perth, Western Australia. The street was created in 1923, and has a history of being a focal point for significant political meetings and demonstrations. Description Forrest P ...
with the cabinet members responsible for the execution to be there.


Path to premier

Over the 1970s, the Labor Party failed to come close to defeating the Liberal/ National Country
Coalition A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...
led by Charles Court. The Coalition had an advantage due to
malapportionment Apportionment is the process by which seats in a legislative body are distributed among administrative divisions, such as states or parties, entitled to representation. This page presents the general principles and issues related to apportionmen ...
favouring rural areas. After the 1977 election, Burke contested the Labor Party's deputy leadership, but was beaten by
Mal Bryce Malcolm John Bryce (10 April 19433 March 2018) was an Australian politician, who served as a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1971 to 1988, representing the seat of Ascot. He was deputy leader of the L ...
by one vote. Following the 1980 election, Burke, Arthur Tonkin and Bryce began planning to remove Davies as party leader. With Tonkin never in serious leadership contention, Burke had to convince Bryce that he was the best man to lead the party. Bryce eventually came around for Burke, reasoning that Burke had better media and fundraising skills, necessary as the party was short on funds. Bryce told his followers to support Burke, who mostly went through with that. There was some trepidation however, with a few people seeing him as a risk. On 18 September 1981, Burke defeated Davies in a Labor Party leadership spill 20 votes to 11, and so he became the
leader of the opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
. Bryce was elected deputy leader of the Labor Party and so he became the deputy leader of the opposition. He then appointed the
Burke shadow ministry The Burke shadow ministry was a Shadow Cabinet led by the Opposition Leader and leader of the Labor Party, Brian Burke, in the Parliament of Western Australia. While serving no formal status—only the Leader and Deputy Leader received remunerat ...
. Burke himself was appointed shadow treasurer and the shadow minister for immigration, ethnic affairs, economic affairs, federal affairs and aboriginal affairs. At 34 years old, Burke was the fourth-youngest ever opposition leader. Upon becoming leader, Burke said to Bryce, "are we happy and agreed—I’m responsible for image and marketing; you’re responsible for policy and substance". Following his ascension to the leadership of the Labor Party, Burke changed his demeanour. In an effort to remove his image as a larrikin, he asked a colleague to prepare a paper on the type of persona to show to the public. He lost weight and wore dark business suits. Burke took inspiration from populist American politician
Huey Long Huey Pierce Long Jr. (August 30, 1893September 10, 1935), nicknamed "the Kingfish", was an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and as a United States senator from 1932 until his assassination ...
, who had positioned himself as a champion of the poor. Beazley had given Burke a copy of ''
Huey Long Huey Pierce Long Jr. (August 30, 1893September 10, 1935), nicknamed "the Kingfish", was an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and as a United States senator from 1932 until his assassination ...
'', a 1969 biography written by
T. Harry Williams Thomas Harry Williams (May 19, 1909 — July 8, 1979) was an American academic and author. For the majority of his academic career between the 1930s to 1970s, Williams taught history at Louisiana State University. While at LSU, Williams was a Boyd ...
. Bryce said that "it was simply common practice for Burke to bring the biography into Parliament. It was the most read book I had ever seen him read over a long time working closely with him." Quentin Beresford posited in his biography, ''The godfather: the life of Brian Burke'', that Burke saw similarities between himself and Long. They both came from large families, were skilled at manipulating people, did not have any fundamental political philosophy, and were entrepreneurial. On 25 January 1982, Court retired from Parliament, and the Liberal Party elected
Ray O'Connor Raymond James O'Connor (6 March 1926 – 25 February 2013) was an Australian politician who served as the premier of Western Australia from 25 January 1982 to 25 February 1983. He was a member of parliament from 1959 to 1984, and a minister in ...
as its leader. Leading into the 1983 state election, Western Australia was in a recession and interest rates were rising, affecting middle-class voters who would normally vote Liberal. Burke was a strong performer in the media, and O'Connor lacked leadership on many issues. The government was seen to have lost its way, with little to no policy on social issues such as abortion, divorce, and prostitution. In December 1992, O'Connor called the election for 19 February 1983. To O'Connor's dismay, Prime Minister
Malcolm Fraser John Malcolm Fraser (; 21 May 1930 – 20 March 2015) was an Australian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983, holding office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Fraser was raised on hi ...
set the federal election two weeks after the state election. This was seen as an advantage to the state Labor Party, as the party's federal leader
Bob Hawke Robert James Lee Hawke (9 December 1929 – 16 May 2019) was an Australian politician and union organiser who served as the 23rd prime minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (A ...
, who was raised in Western Australia, was seen as more sympathetic to the state than the Liberal Prime Minister Fraser. By mid-January, unemployment was up to 9.5%. Combatting unemployment became the main plank of Labor's campaign, with Burke saying that his aim was to "create an economic environment in which all those who sought full-time paid employment could find it". He promised during the campaign to set up a state unemployment taskforce at a cost of $34.5 million which reported to Cabinet. He also promised to reform the Legislative Council, which Labor had long criticised as undemocratic. This would include reducing the number of members from 34 to 22, which would require a referendum. Other commitments were to set up an inquiry into education conducted by former Federal Minister for Education
Kim Beazley Sr. Kim Edward Beazley (30 September 1917 – 12 October 2007) was an Australian politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1945 to 1977, representing the Labor Party. He was Minister for Education in the Whitlam Go ...
, build an extra 1,500 state housing units using the funds from the sale of housing commission land, establish a Western Australian Development Bank to increase the amount of risk capital, reduce payroll tax and eventually abolish it, and set up a South East Asian Marketing Corporation to increase exports. To combat price increases, Burke promised to install a price commissioner and set a maximum limit on the price of petrol. In terms of rail transport, Burke reiterated an earlier promise to reopen the Perth to Fremantle passenger rail line, which was closed in 1979 by the Court Government as a result of poor patronage and the increasing cost to run it. The closure had attracted heavy opposition, with a petition calling for the closure to be reconsidered gaining 110,000 signatures. He also promised to electrify the line between Kwinana and Bunbury and improve passenger services between Perth and Bunbury. The main criticism the Liberal Party made of Labor's promises was that funding was not specified in most cases, and when it was, the funding was inadequate. The election resulted in Labor recording a two-party-preferred vote of 54.4%, winning nine additional seats in the Legislative Assembly, giving them a majority of three. With a swing of 7.48%, the scale of Labor's victory surprised most people. Despite that, Labor won only seven out of the seventeen Legislative Council seats up for election. In his victory speech, he criticised the malapportionment of the Legislative Council.


Premier

Burke and his ministry were sworn in by
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Sir Richard Trowbridge on 25 February 1983. It was Burke's 36th birthday, making him the third youngest premier of Western Australia. Burke's ministry consisted of 15 men and no women. The size of his cabinet was criticised by O'Connor as hypocritical, who said that the Labor Party had criticised his own cabinet for being too large, creating extra cost. Three of the cabinet members had previously been a minister: Ron Davies and Dave Evans served in the Tonkin Ministry from 1971 to 1974 and
Joe Berinson Joseph Max Berinson (7 January 1932 – 2 June 2018) was an Australian politician who represented the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in the Australian House of Representatives and the Western Australian Legislative Council. He was Minister for t ...
served in the Whitlam Ministry in 1975. The only member of the ministry who was not in Burke's shadow ministry was
Peter Dowding Peter McCallum Dowding SC (born 6 October 1943) is an Australian lawyer and former politician who served as the 24th Premier of Western Australia, from 25 February 1988 until his forced resignation on 12 February 1990. He was a member of parli ...
, who had only been elected three years prior. Dowding replaced Mike Barnett, who did not nominate himself for the ministry due to family reasons. Burke himself had the roles of
Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...
,
Minister Coordinating Economic and Social Development Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...
,
Minister for Forests Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...
, Minister for Tourism, and Minister for Women's Interests. It was standard at the time for the premier to also be the treasurer and the minister coordinating economic and social development. This was the first time that women's interests was a ministry, and started a trend that lasted until 1992 that the premier hold that ministry whilst an assistant minister helps with the portfolio. A day after the election, Burke visited Fremantle to reassure residents that the line would be reopened. The line reopened on 29 July 1983, with Burke riding in the driver's cab with Works Minister and former train driver
Ken McIver Kenneth Finlay McIver (26 October 1928 – 23 September 1988) was an Australian politician who served in the Parliament of Western Australia between 1968 and 1988. He represented Northam and Avon for the Labor Party. Prior to entering politics ...
driving the first passenger train back on the line. The cost of repairing the line for reopening was $800,000 and the cost of the first year of operations was $800,000. Two weeks after the election, Burke recalled Parliament to implement the promise to reduce prices. Just prior to the 1983 election, Burke rang businessman
Laurie Connell Lawrence Robert "Laurie" Connell (died 27 February 1996) was a Western Australian business entrepreneur. As chairman of the Rothwells merchant bank, he was well known for his dealings with the Government of Western Australia and his close rela ...
, and convinced him to donate $25,000 to the Labor Party. The two were introduced to each other by radio presenter
Bob Maumill Walter Robert Maumill (born 10 March 1938) is a Western Australian radio presenter and writer. Early life Maumill was born in Bunbury, Western Australia. His father was Walter William Maumill (Wharf labourer) and his mother Elsie (barmaid). He m ...
, a colleague of Burke when he worked at Seven News. Maumill had grown quite close to Burke. Maumill, and later
Howard Sattler Howard Sattler (23 February 1945 – 11 June 2021) was an Australian talk back radio host. Sattler began his career as a cadet journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald before performing national service during the Vietnam War, during which he co ...
, hosted a weekly morning radio segment on
6PR 6PR, known as 882 6PR, is a commercial radio station based in Perth, Western Australia. Owned by Nine Entertainment, its focus is on news, talk and sport, and is Perth's only commercial talkback radio station. It commenced broadcasting on 14 Oc ...
called ''Ask the Premier'', where Burke would answer listeners' questions. As Tourism Minister, Burke chaired the Rottnest Island Board, where he met Dallas Dempster, an appointee by the previous Liberal government. When Burke won government, Dempster offered his resignation from the board, but Burke declined the offer. Burke later chose Dempster to become chairman of the board. Early in his term as premier, Burke was approached by the developers of the
Argyle diamond mine The Argyle Diamond Mine was a diamond mine located in the East Kimberley region in the remote north of Western Australia. Argyle was at times the largest diamond producer in the world by volume (14 million carats in 2018), although the propor ...
. They claimed to have an agreement with the O'Connor Government that their obligation to build a town at the mine would be waived if the coalition had won the 1983 election. Burke decided to allow the waiver to go ahead, provided that the government be compensated by $58 million. The government then spent $42 million to buy a 5% stake in the mine from Northern Mining, a company owned by
Alan Bond Alan Bond (22 April 1938 – 5 June 2015) was an English-born Australian businessman noted for his high-profile and often corrupt business dealings. These included his central role in the WA Inc scandals of the 1980s, and what was at the time ...
. Burke later said "that showed me it (revenue raising) could be done. Bryce later said he saw the deal as the introduction of
fly-in fly-out Fly-in fly-out is a method of employing people in remote areas by flying them temporarily to the work site instead of relocating employees and their families permanently. It is often abbreviated to FIFO when referring to employment status. This is ...
in Australia, saying that "the social implications f the dealare pretty ugly". Burke then held a meeting with several federal government MPs, including
John Dawkins John Sydney "Joe" Dawkins, AO (born 2 March 1947) is an Australian former politician who was Treasurer in the Keating Labor government from December 1991 to December 1993. He is notable for his reforms of tertiary education as Minister for E ...
, Kim Beasley and Peter Walsh, where he pitched the idea of becoming a
state capitalist State capitalism is an economic system in which the state undertakes business and commercial (i.e. for-profit) economic activity and where the means of production are nationalized as state-owned enterprises (including the processes of capital ac ...
to help with the state's financial situation. It was later revealed in the
WA Inc WA Inc was a political scandal in Western Australia. In the 1980s, the state government, which was led for much of the period by premier Brian Burke, engaged in business dealings with several prominent businessmen, including Alan Bond, Laurie ...
royal commission that Connell was a paid advisor to both Burke and Bond during the deal's negotiations. The royal commission found that Burke had known about Connell advising Bond, but "deliberately chose not to tell his Cabinet colleagues. Such conduct is grossly improper". In June 1983, Burke announced a number of measures to improve Western Australia's finances. Gas and electricity prices were increased on average by 15%, water increased by 7.9%, housing commission rents rose 10%, bus fares increased by 5%, rail and road coach fares rose 10% and hospital bed charges rose between 11.5% and 19%. These cost increases were expected to gain the government $60 million for the upcoming budget. He also announced pay cuts for senior public servants, politicians, and the judiciary, and that 1,000 government jobs would be removed, saving $15 million. The tribunals that usually set salaries were bypassed as these changes were done via an Act of Parliament. Although the public service union described this as "lunacy", the general public approved of the pay cuts, which overshadowed the cost increases. A Morgan Gallup poll taken as Burke announced the charge increases and salary cuts showed Burke to be Australia's most popular premier at the time, with an approval rating of 72%. He appointed Gordon Reid as governor in 1984, refusing an offer from Trowbridge, who was English, to extend his term. He started a three-year anti smoking campaign which cost $6 million as well as proposing to raise $32 million a year from a tobacco licence fee. He also considered a ban on the advertising of tobacco products. As Minister for Women's Interests, Burke announced in August 1983 that he would set up a Women's Advisory Council and introduce anti-sex discrimination legislation to Parliament. The following month, the advisory council was set up, with 20 appointees there advising Cabinet on all policy decisions affecting women. In September 1983, the
Royal Perth Yacht Club The Royal Perth Yacht Club (RPYC) is a yacht club in Perth, Western Australia. It is the third oldest yacht club in Australia after the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria and the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron.
won the 1983 America's Cup in the first successful challenge of the
New York Yacht Club The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. ...
's 132-year defence of the Cup. He predicted that the 1987 defence of the Cup would necessitate a $500 million investment in Western Australia and an additional 400,000 to 500,000 tourists. In December 1983, Burke reshuffled his ministry, making Berinson the minister for budget management, taking some workload off Burke's role as treasurer. By the end of 1983, Burke had established the Small Business Development Corporation, the
Western Australian Institute of Sport The Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) is an elite sports institute set up in 1983 by the Government of Western Australia to support athletes in Western Australia. Previously, if elite athletes from Western Australian needed to train or ...
, the Tripartite Labour Consultative Council to recommend legislation and reform for industrial relations, and the Multi-Cultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission. In February 1984,
Bill Hassell William Ralph Boucher Hassell, best known as Bill Hassell, (born 6 June 1943) is an Australian former Liberal Party politician who was Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia during the mid-1980s. He was a member of the Western Australian ...
became the leader of the opposition, succeeding O'Connor. In 1987, Cabinet gave approval for the electrification of the Fremantle, Armadale and Midland lines.


Daylight saving

The Burke Government passed legislation for a one year trial of
daylight saving Daylight saving time (DST), also referred to as daylight savings time or simply daylight time (United States, Canada, and Australia), and summer time (United Kingdom, European Union, and others), is the practice of advancing clocks (typicall ...
over the summer of 1983–4. Following this, the 1984 daylight saving referendum occurred on 7 April 1984, at which the majority voted against making daylight saving permanent.


Capital punishment

As Premier, Burke pushed for the abolition of capital punishment. Western Australia was the second last state in which capital punishment was legal, with the last person executed being
Eric Edgar Cooke Eric Edgar Cooke (25 February 1931 – 26 October 1964), nicknamed the Night Caller and later the Nedlands Monster, was an Australian serial killer who terrorised the city of Perth, Western Australia, from September 1958 to August 1963. Cooke c ...
in 1964. Since then, the death penalty had been commuted 23 times. On 13 June 1983, cabinet approved legislation to abolish capital punishment, and in 1984, Parliament passed the legislation. Burke later called this his "proudest achievement".


Aboriginal land rights

It was proposed at Labor's 1984 national conference that
Aboriginal land rights Indigenous land rights are the rights of Indigenous peoples to land and natural resources therein, either individually or collectively, mostly in colonised countries. Land and resource-related rights are of fundamental importance to Indigenou ...
be made uniform nationally. This included the right for Aboriginal people to "refuse permission for mining on their land or to impose conditions under which mining may proceed". Burke appointed Paul Seaman QC to conduct an inquiry into the issue. Seaman's report, released in September 1984, backed the concept of refusing permission for mining as well as proposing that an Aboriginal Lands Tribunal have the power to rule on land and compensation claims. Burke opposed these proposals, saying that the government should rule on land and compensation claims. Burke and Prime Minister Hawke eventually came to an agreement in October 1985 such that the federal government's legislation would not allow Aboriginal people to veto mining proposals on their lands. The state government introduced its own legislation on Aboriginal land rights in March 1985, but although Burke lobbied Opposition Leader Hassell to support the legislation, it was defeated in the Legislative Council. Burke told Hassell that if the opposition does not support the legislation, then the federal government would introduce stronger legislation. In August 1985, Federal Cabinet approved stronger legislation. Burke threatened to take the proposed legislation to the High Court, but after the 1986 state election in February that year, the federal government abandoned any plans for uniform national legislation, and accepted Western Australia's proposal for 99-year leases for existing Aboriginal reserves.


Burswood Casino

In 1984, Burke told Dallas Dempster that the government would call for expressions of interest for a casino to be built in Perth. Dempster then worked with Malaysian casino operator Genting to put together an application to build a casino on an old landfill in Burswood. The government chose the Burswood site as a result of Dempster, and competitors had to prepare bids for that site. The Dempster and Genting bid won out, sparking accusations of favouritism from rival bidders.


1986 state election

Labor won the 1986 state election with 53% of the primary vote. The government lost three ministers: Ken McIver, who lost his seat, and Ron Davies and Dave Evans, who both retired. Burke chose to expand his ministry by two, leading to five new ministers. They were Ernie Bridge, who was Australia's first Aboriginal minister,
Pam Beggs Pamela Anne Beggs (née Austin; born 23 May 1947) is a former Australian politician who was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1983 to 1993, representing the seat of Whitford. Beggs was born in Inverel ...
and
Kay Hallahan Elsie Kay Hallahan (born 4 November 1941) is a former deputy leader of the Western Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party. As a member of the Labor Party, she also served as a minister in the Burke, Dowding and Lawrence ministries ...
, who were the WA Labor Party's first female ministers, and Ian Taylor and
Gavan Troy Gavan John Troy (born 31 May 1940) is a former Australian politician who was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1983 to 1993. He served as a minister in the governments of Brian Burke, Peter Dowding, an ...
.


Electoral reform

By the end of 1983, the Burke Government was yet to get the electoral reform legislation through the Legislative Council. It had spent $50,000 on an advertising campaign in an attempt to get public support for a referendum on the issue. Burke's government enacted important electoral reforms in 1987, introducing multi-member electorates in the Legislative Council and a method of proportional representation 'weighted' to give extra representation to rural constituents (but ending excessive and unfair rural weighting which had been in effect for many years). Four-year maximum terms were established for the Legislative Assembly, and fixed four-year terms for the Legislative Council.


Rothwells

Rothwells Lawrence Robert "Laurie" Connell (died 27 February 1996) was a Western Australian business entrepreneur. As chairman of the Rothwells merchant bank, he was well known for his dealings with the Government of Western Australia and his close rela ...
was a
merchant bank A merchant bank is historically a bank dealing in commercial loans and investment. In modern British usage it is the same as an investment bank. Merchant banks were the first modern banks and evolved from medieval merchants who traded in commodi ...
managed by Connell. He was the chairman and chief executive officer, and owned over a thirty percent stake in the company. Many of the bank's deposits were by community organisations, local councils, charities, and churches in Western Australia. In October 1987, the stock market crashed. Depositors worried about their deposit's safety began withdrawing funds. By 24 October, twenty-seven percent of Rothwell's funds had been withdrawn. Much of the
run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...
came from stockbroking firms retrieving funds they had deposited for clients. Unlike many other merchant banks, Rothwells did not have a major financial institution as its parent. It had to draw on lines of credit it had with other banks. Rothwells would need $300 million in cash if all deposits were withdrawn. Over the weekend of 24 and 25 October, a rescue package was put together to save Rothwells from bankruptcy. A group of businessmen and companies, including
Kerry Packer Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer (17 December 1937 – 26 December 2005) was an Australian media tycoon, and was considered one of Australia's most powerful media proprietors of the twentieth century. The Packer family company owned a controlling ...
,
Alan Bond Alan Bond (22 April 1938 – 5 June 2015) was an English-born Australian businessman noted for his high-profile and often corrupt business dealings. These included his central role in the WA Inc scandals of the 1980s, and what was at the time ...
, Robert Holmes a Court,
Ron Brierley Ronald Alfred Brierley (born 2 August 1937) is a New Zealand born investor and corporate raider, chairman and director of a number of companies in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. He founded R. A. Brierley Investments Ltd (BIL; renamed ''Guoc ...
, and Dallas Dempster, committed $164 million in equity under the proviso that the Western Australian Government provide a guarantee for $150 million. $70 million of that was provided by Connell alone. Burke agreed to provide the guarantee under the conditions that equity was provided by the aforementioned businessmen and companies, that the government's guarantee rank last to reduce the chance that it be drawn from, that Robert Holmes a Court commit equity, that Connell commit all his wealth, that the government get a director on Rothwells' board, that a high fee be charged for the facility provided, and that the Liberal Party support the proposal. The government expected to have to pay out no money to Rothwells. Opposition Leader Barry MacKinnon said that the Liberal Party would not support the proposal but not oppose it either. The proposal went ahead anyway, with Burke announcing it to the public on 25 October. A year later, Rothwells went into liquidation. It later emerged that the two largest debtors were companies owned by Laurie Connell.


Resignation

Upon becoming premier, Burke promised to resign after five years. Upon his 1986 election victory, he told his ministry "I'll be leaving in two years", although most did not know if he was serious. In public, he would be say that he intended to lead Labor through the next election, but leading up to the end of 1987, speculation that he would resign increased. In December 1987, Burke announced his intention to resign as
premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
and from Parliament on 25 February 1988. Dowding was the most likely candidate to replace him, with Burke picking Dowding as his preferred successor. A secret opinion poll conducted by the Labor Party in March 1987 found that Dowding was the most "electorally acceptable" candidate, however certain trade unions and sections of the Labor Party disliked Dowding. Other contenders were David Parker,
Bob Pearce Robert John Pearce (born 24 February 1946) is a former Australian politician, who was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1977 until 1993 representing the seats of Gosnells and Armadale. Biography Pearce was born i ...
, and
Julian Grill Julian Fletcher Grill (born 15 May 1940) is an Australian former politician. Grill was a member of the Parliament of Western Australia between 1977 and 2001. Early life and education Grill was born in Sydney, New South Wales and was brought u ...
, however they all pulled out of contention before the 30 December Labor caucus vote due to Burke's influence, the opinion poll, and the need for the party to be united. Dowding was unanimously elected as the leader of the Labor Party, and Parker was unanimously elected as deputy leader, replacing
Mal Bryce Malcolm John Bryce (10 April 19433 March 2018) was an Australian politician, who served as a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1971 to 1988, representing the seat of Ascot. He was deputy leader of the L ...
, who had also announced his intention to resign. Burke then accepted an appointment as Australia's ambassador to
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
and the
Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
. In the 1988 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Companion to 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 ...
.


Downfall

In April 1991, Burke appeared before the
WA Inc WA Inc was a political scandal in Western Australia. In the 1980s, the state government, which was led for much of the period by premier Brian Burke, engaged in business dealings with several prominent businessmen, including Alan Bond, Laurie ...
royal commission. The royal commission's report, released on 19 October 1992, was critical of Burke but did not consider his behaviour illegal. The report stated: However, another report found that he had falsely claimed $17,000 worth of travel expenses. In 1992, Burke was charged with five counts of defrauding the state by making false claims on the parliamentary imprest account. He was accused of claiming money from the account on five separate occasions despite those trips having been already paid for by another account. Burke's defence was that his staff had done so unwittingly and that he had no knowledge of it. One of the charges was later dropped. On 13 July 1994, Burke was found guilty on all four counts of fraud. The maximum sentence he faced was three years jail for each count. He was released on bail for $25,000. Two days later, he was sentenced to two years in prison. He was released on parole after seven months. In April 1995, he was stripped of his Order of Australia honour. In March 1997, he was found guilty of stealing $122,585 in campaign donations to the Labor Party to fund his stamp collection. He was sentenced to three years jail, but served six months before the conviction was quashed on appeal.


Lobbying activities

Burke became active as a consultant and lobbyist for Western Australian business interests. His continued involvement in state Labor branch politics was the subject of controversy since before Labor returned to power in 2001. As premier,
Geoff Gallop Geoffrey Ian Gallop (born 27 September 1951) is an Australian academic and former politician who served as the 27th Premier of Western Australia from 2001 to 2006. He is currently a professor and director of the Graduate School of Government at ...
banned cabinet ministers from contact with Burke, but this was lifted by his successor
Alan Carpenter Alan John Carpenter (born 4 January 1957) is a former Australian politician who served as the 28th Premier of Western Australia, from 2006 to 2008. From Albany, Carpenter graduated from the University of Western Australia, and worked as a journ ...
when he took office in February 2006. On 9 November 2006, Burke resigned from the Labor Party after public criticism from Carpenter, in part due to evidence provided to the
Corruption and Crime Commission The Corruption and Crime Commission is an independent anti-corruption agency established on 1 January 2004 to improve the integrity of the Western Australian public sector and investigate allegations of misconduct against public officers. It t ...
(CCC). Norm Marlborough, the Minister for Small Business and the South-West in the
Carpenter Ministry The Carpenter Ministry was the 34th Ministry of the Government of Western Australia, and was led by Labor Premier Alan Carpenter and his deputy Eric Ripper. It succeeded the Gallop Ministry on 3 February 2006 due to the retirement of Dr Geoff Ga ...
, was forced to resign from the ministry and from the Parliament on 10 November 2006 after the Corruption and Crime Commission revealed he had kept a "secret mobile phone" to stay in touch with Burke. This triggered a
by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
for Marlborough's seat of Peel, although Labor retained the seat. Burke subsequently stood trial on five charges of telling lies to the CCC inquiry and on 1 April 2010 was found guilty of deliberately giving false testimony and fined $25,000. An attempted appeal to the High Court against the conviction failed. Soon after, Burke was found not guilty of a separate charge of disclosing official secrets. On 19 June 2013, Burke was charged with four counts of
insider trading Insider trading is the trading of a public company's stock or other securities (such as bonds or stock options) based on material, nonpublic information about the company. In various countries, some kinds of trading based on insider information ...
relating to the
ASX Australian Securities Exchange Ltd or ASX, is an Australian public company that operates Australia's primary securities exchange, the Australian Securities Exchange (sometimes referred to outside of Australia as, or confused within Australia as ...
-listed telecommunications company AMCOM, all of which were dropped on 18 February 2014. Since retiring as a lobbyist in 2006, Burke has worked with his son Peter as a property developer.


Personal life

Burke and his wife have four sons and two daughters. In 1984, Burke stated "I leave the church going to my wife. I run the country." In 1986, when asked "Are you a practising Catholic?", he replied "no, I am not a practising Catholic... I suppose I am partly a practising Catholic."


Legacy

Burke has had several books written about him. Patrick O'Brien, the senior lecturer in politics at the University of Western Australia, released ''The Burke Ambush: Corporatism and Society in Western Australia'' in 1986 and ''Burke's Shambles: Parliamentary Contempt in the Wild West'' alongside Anthony McAdam in 1987. In 1988, John Hamilton released ''Burkie: A biography of Brian Burke'' with the cooperation of Burke. In 2008,
Edith Cowan University Edith Cowan University (ECU) is a public university in Western Australia. It is named in honour of the first woman to be elected to an Parliaments of the Australian states and territories, Australian parliament, Edith Cowan, and is the only Aust ...
Professor Quentin Beresford released ''The Godfather: The life of Brian Burke'', an
unauthorised biography An unauthorized biography is a biography written without the subject's permission or input. The term is usually restricted to biographies written within the subject's lifetime or shortly after their death; as such, it is not applied to biographi ...
. In 2017, Burke released an autobiography titled ''A tumultuous life''. There is also Brian Peachy's ''The Burkes of Western Australia'', which was released in 1992 and is about Burke's father and his family. In 2008, ''
Business News Business journalism is the part of journalism that tracks, records, analyzes and interprets the business, economic and financial activities and changes that take place in societies. Topics widely cover the entire purview of all commercial activi ...
s Joseph Poprzeczny said that Burke was the most written about premier in Western Australian history.


See also

* Electoral results for the district of Balcatta *
Electoral results for the district of Balga This is a list of electoral results for the Electoral district of Balga in Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external ...
*
List of heads of government who were later imprisoned This is a list of heads of government who were later imprisoned. There have been several individuals throughout history who served as Head of state, Head of State or Head of government, Head of Government (such as President (government title), Pre ...
*
List of Australian politicians convicted of crimes Federal New South Wales Queensland Tasmania South Australia Victoria Western Australia See also * List of political controversies in Australia References {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Australian Politicians Convicted Of Crimes ...


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * *


External links


Mr Brian Thomas Burke
in the Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia {{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, Brian Living people 1947 births Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia Premiers of Western Australia Treasurers of Western Australia Leaders of the Opposition in Western Australia Labor Right politicians 20th-century Australian politicians Journalists from Western Australia Criminals from Western Australia Australian politicians convicted of fraud Australian people of Irish descent Ambassadors of Australia to Ireland Ambassadors of Australia to the Holy See Former Companions of the Order of Australia Politicians from Perth, Western Australia People educated at Newman College, Perth Heads of government who were later imprisoned