Denis Burke

Denis Gabriel Burke (born September 22, 1948) is an Australian politician. A former soldier, 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 their largest ever defeat at the 2005 election, culminating in the shock loss of his own seat.

Fall, second coming, and final fall

As Opposition Leader, Burke struggled to impact on the government, and presided over a disunited party that found it difficult to come to terms with being in opposition. Amidst this environment, speculation soon began that Burke would step aside in favour of rival Terry Mills. Burke was determined to remain leader, however, and fended off several challenge attempts by Mills, with the support of several influential MPs, such as Jodeen Carney. He was also briefly boosted by victory - despite a significant swing against the party - in the 2003 Katherine by-election. His support began to evaporate, however, when he made comments on radio suggesting that he had tolerated marijuana use in his unit while an army officer, allegedly prompting the Chief of the Defence Forces, Peter Cosgrove, to call him a "goose". While Cosgrove quickly backed away from the comment, it had nevertheless damaged his leadership. The final straw came when Burke refused to allow a conscience vote on the issue of lowering the age of consent for gay males; Carney crossed the floor to vote with the ALP and shifted her support to Mills, and was soon followed by newcomer Fay Miller. Mills subsequently launched a formal leadership challenge, and Burke was easily defeated.

Related Topics:
Terry Mills - Jodeen Carney - 2003 Katherine by-election - Peter Cosgrove - Fay Miller

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After being toppled as leader, Burke's political career seemed largely over. It had a sudden revival, however, when fourteen months later, Mills abruptly resigned from the leadership. Burke nominated for the vacancy, and was unanimously re-elected as leader on February 7, 2005. He led the party to the 2005 election, but was soundly defeated, losing his own seat of Brennan in a shock result. Burke had already said that he would resign as leader if he lost the election, but his unprecedented defeat in his own electorate came as a surprise to almost everyone in the Territory - including the ALP candidate, James Burke. Burke took several days to ultimately concede defeat, and while he has not announced any specific plans for the future, he has already refused to rule out a potential comeback in 2009.

Related Topics:
February 7 - 2005 - 2005 election - Brennan - James Burke - 2009

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He is married with two children, Sam and Tom. He also has two daughters from his first marriage, Lisa and Angela. His second wife, Annette, was elected Mayor of Palmerston in 1998.

Related Topics:
Palmerston - 1998

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