James Patrick Burke (born 4 February 1971[ citation needed ]) is an Australian former politician. He was a Labor Party member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly between 2005 and 2008, representing the electorate of Brennan. [1]
James Burke was born in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea in 1971. [1] His family were due to move to Darwin just after Christmas of 1974, but were delayed by the onset of Cyclone Tracy, which virtually obliterated the city. [1] The family eventually moved to Darwin in 1976. [1] Burke studied politics and law at the University College of the Northern Territory (then part of the University of Queensland), but switched to the equivalent course at the new Northern Territory University in 1989.[ citation needed ] He was involved in student politics throughout his time at university.
Burke was a founding member of the Darwin Youth Sister City Organisation (DYSCO), a community youth group within the Darwin City Council's Sister Cities programs. He was also a member of the Haikou Sister City Community Committee. In 1994, James was one of four students to go to Haikou, China on a 12-month exchange.[ citation needed ]
Burke was employed in the Northern Territory Public Service from 1995 to 2000, in Territory Health Services then the Office of the Public Trustee. Burke went to Melbourne to pursue his legal career having been unable to secure a position with a local firm.[ citation needed ] He worked as a solicitor for 11 months with Gadens Lawyers then approximately 3½ years with Maurice Blackburn Cashman, before returning to the Territory in August 2004 to take up a position as Industrial Officer with the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union (LHMU). [2]
In the 2005 Northern Territory election, Burke achieved a shock defeat of the Opposition Leader Denis Burke (no relation). Although even he had not expected to be victorious, [3] he swept aside the incumbent member, and won what had been the CLP's safest seat with a swing of more than 20%. [4]
Years | Term | Electoral division | Party | |
---|---|---|---|---|
2005 –2008 | 10th | Brennan | Labor |
On 9 August 2008, a general election for the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory was held, resulting in Burke losing his seat of Brennan to Peter Chandler of the CLP. [5]
In April 2009, Burke became an Advisor to the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, Honorable Paul Henderson.[ citation needed ]
Burke married Sharon McKenzie in August 1999, gaining a step-daughter (Leesa), and having two children (Niamh and Flynn).[ citation needed ]
The Country Liberal Party of the Northern Territory (CLP), commonly known as the Country Liberals, is a centre-right and conservative political party in Australia's Northern Territory. In territory politics, it operates in a two-party system with the Australian Labor Party (ALP). It also contests federal elections as an affiliate of the Liberal Party of Australia and National Party of Australia, the two partners in the federal coalition.
Clare Majella Martin is a former Australian journalist and politician. She was elected to the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in a shock by-election win in 1995. She was appointed Opposition Leader in 1999, and won a surprise victory at the 2001 territory election, becoming the first Labor Party (ALP) and first female Chief Minister of the Northern Territory. At the 2005 election, she led Territory Labor to the second-largest majority government in the history of the Territory, before resigning as Chief Minister on 26 November 2007.
Denis Gabriel Burke is a former Australian politician. A former Australian Army officer, he served as a Country Liberal Party member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 1994 to 2005. He spent two years as Chief Minister after succeeding Shane Stone, but oversaw the CLP's defeat at the 2001 election, ending 27 years of continuous CLP government in the Northern Territory. Burke later served as Opposition Leader from 2001 to 2003 before being toppled, but was re-elected as leader in 2005. He subsequently took the party to defeat at the 2005 election, culminating in the shock loss of his own seat.
Brennan is an electoral division of the Legislative Assembly in Australia's Northern Territory. It was first created in 1990 as a replacement for the abolished seat of Ludmilla, and derives its name from Harold "Tiger" Brennan, a former member of the Legislative Council and Mayor of Darwin. Brennan includes both rural and urban areas, covering an area of 5 km2 and encompassing the Palmerston suburbs of Bakewell, Gunn, Farrar, as well as part of Rosebery. There were 5,746 people enrolled in the electorate as of August 2020.
A general election was held in the Northern Territory, Australia, on 18 June 2005. The centre-left Labor Party, led by Chief Minister Clare Martin, won a second term with a landslide victory, winning six of the ten seats held by the opposition Country Liberal Party in the 25-member Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, bringing their total to 19. It was the second largest victory in any Northern Territory election. The only larger majority in the history of the Territory was in the first election, in 1974. In that contest, the CLP won 17 of the 19 seats in the chamber, and faced only two independents as opposition.
A general election was held in the Northern Territory, Australia, on 18 August 2001. The centre-left Labor Party (ALP), led by Clare Martin, won a surprising victory over the Country Liberal Party (CLP). Before this, the CLP had held 18 out the 25 seats in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly to the ALP's 7. After this election, the ALP held the majority with 13 seats to the CLP's 10, consigning the CLP to opposition for the first time since the Territory gained responsible government. Martin became Chief Minister, succeeding the CLP's Denis Burke.
Terence Kennedy Mills is an Australian politician. He served as chief minister of the Northern Territory from 2012 to 2013 and was leader of the Country Liberal Party (CLP) from 2003 to 2005 and 2008 to 2013.
Adam Graham Giles is an Australian former politician and former Chief Minister of the Northern Territory (2013–2016) as well as the former leader of the Country Liberal Party (CLP) in the unicameral Northern Territory Parliament. Giles is the first Indigenous Australian to serve as a head of government in Australia.
Michael Patrick Francis Gunner is an Australian former politician who was the 11th Chief Minister of the Northern Territory from 2016 to 2022. He was a Labor member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, holding the seat of Fannie Bay in Darwin from the retirement of then Chief Minister Clare Martin at the 2008 election until his resignation in July 2022.
Kezia Dorcas Tibisay Purick is an Australian politician. She was an independent member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, first elected in the seat of Goyder in the 2008 election. Prior to entering Parliament, Purick was the CEO of the NT Minerals Council for 16 years. Originally elected as a member of the Country Liberal Party, she became an independent in 2015.
A general election was held in the Northern Territory on Saturday 25 August 2012, which elected all 25 members of the Legislative Assembly in the unicameral Northern Territory Parliament.
The 2016 Northern Territory general election was held on Saturday 27 August 2016 to elect all 25 members of the Legislative Assembly in the unicameral Northern Territory Parliament.
Peter John Maley is a controversial former Australian politician, barrister, solicitor and magistrate. He was the member for Goyder in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2005, primarily as a member of the Country Liberal Party, but also for a short period as an independent member.
Lia Emele Finocchiaro is an Australian politician who has served as the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory since August 2024. A member of the Country Liberal Party (CLP), she has represented the seat of Spillett in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly since her election in 2016. Following the resignation of Gary Higgins on 1 February 2020, she became the Leader of the Opposition in the Northern Territory. Prior to this, she served as the member for Drysdale from 2012 to 2016.
Chanston James "Chansey" Paech is an Australian politician. He is a Labor Party member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly since 2016, representing the electorate of Namatjira until 2020 and Gwoja thereafter. He is of Arrente, Arabana and Gurindji descent.
Eva Dina Lawler is an Australian former politician who served as the 13th chief minister of the Northern Territory from 2023 to 2024, holding office as the leader of the Territory Labor Party. She was a member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the electorate of Drysdale from 2016 until her defeat at the 2024 Northern Territory general election. Before becoming chief minister she held various ministerial offices in the Gunner and Fyles governments.
Anthony John Sievers is an Australian politician. He was a Labor member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2016 to 2020, representing the electorate of Brennan.
The 2020 Northern Territory general election was held on 22 August 2020 to elect all 25 members of the Legislative Assembly in the unicameral Northern Territory Parliament.
The Territory Labor Party, officially known as the Australian Labor Party (Northern Territory Branch) and commonly referred to simply as Territory Labor, is the Northern Territory branch of the Australian Labor Party. It has been led by Selena Uibo, the first Aboriginal woman to lead a major political party in Australia, since 3 September 2024.
The 2024 Northern Territory general election was held on 24 August 2024 to elect all 25 members of the Legislative Assembly in the unicameral Northern Territory Parliament. Members were elected through full preferential instant-runoff voting in single-member electorates. The election was conducted by the Northern Territory Electoral Commission (NTEC).