Anna Burke
| The Honourable Anna Burke | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 28th Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives | |
|
In office 9 October 2012 – 12 November 2013 | |
| Deputy | Bruce Scott |
| Preceded by | Peter Slipper |
| Succeeded by | Bronwyn Bishop |
| Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives | |
|
In office 24 November 2011 – 9 October 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Slipper |
| Succeeded by | Bruce Scott |
|
In office 12 February 2008 – 28 September 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Harry Jenkins |
| Succeeded by | Peter Slipper |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Chisholm | |
|
In office 3 October 1998 – 9 May 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Wooldridge |
| Succeeded by | Julia Banks |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
1 January 1966 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Labor Party |
| Spouse(s) | Steve Burgess (m. 1994) |
| Children | Two |
| Residence | Box Hill South[1] |
| Education | Presentation College, Windsor |
| Alma mater |
University of Melbourne Monash University |
| Occupation | Union representative, Politician |
| Website |
annaburke |
Anna Elizabeth Burke (born 1 January 1966) is a former Australian politician. She has been a member of the Australian Labor Party and was a member of the Australian House of Representatives from October 1998 to May 2016, representing the Division of Chisholm, Victoria. From October 2012 to November 2013, she was Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives.
Early life
Burke was born in Melbourne and educated at Presentation College, Windsor. She graduated from Monash University in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours in English Literature, and later from the University of Melbourne in 1994 with a Master of Commerce with Honours in Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management.
Before entering politics, Burke worked as a trade union official and human resources manager. In this capacity, she worked for Victoria Roads from 1988 to 1993 and for Victoria University (then the Victorian Institute of Technology) from 1993 to 1994. In 1994, she joined the Finance Sector Union as their National Industrial Officer.[2]
Politics
Early years
She had joined the Ashwood branch of the Labor Party in 1986, and in 1997 she was pre-selected for the Division of Chisholm by the Labor Party. The division was then held by Liberal Minister for Health and Family Services Michael Wooldridge. She was not expected to win, but after Wooldridge switched seats she won the seat at the 1998 federal election[3] against Peter Vlahos of the Liberal Party.
Role as Deputy Speaker and Speaker
After Labor's win at the 2007 federal election, Burke was elected as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
She successfully defended her seat in the 2010 federal election.
On 24 November 2011, she was nominated by the Opposition for the position of Speaker of the House, which she declined. However, she accepted the Government's nomination for the position of Deputy Speaker on the same day, and was elected to that position following a ballot.
On 22 April 2012 the Speaker, Peter Slipper, announced he was standing aside, meaning he would remain Speaker but would not attend sessions of the House, until fraud allegations made against him with respect to travel expenses were resolved.[4] The Opposition called for Slipper to stay away from the chamber until sexual harassment charges were resolved as well.[5] As Deputy Speaker, Burke was deprived of her deliberative vote, being able only to vote in the case of a tie. On 9 October 2012, Peter Slipper resigned as Speaker of the House.[6] Later that evening, Burke was nominated and elected the new Speaker of the House of Representatives unopposed.
Retirement from politics
On 16 December 2015, Burke announced that she would not re-contest her seat at the 2016 federal election.[7]
References
- ↑ Ms Anna Burke MP, Q&A (ABC).
- ↑ "How Acting Speaker of the Federal Parliament Anna Burke juggles the office, kids, haircuts and misbehaving politicians". Herald Sun. 26 August 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2015
- ↑ "Being Anna Burke: the former speaker opens up". Sydney Morning Herald. 10 July 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2015
- ↑ "Slipper stands aside amid harassment claims". ABC News. 22 April 2012.
- ↑ "Roxon Warns against 'lynch mob' over Slipper claims". ABC News. 23 April 2012.
- ↑ "Slipper resigns as Speaker". ABC News. 9 October 2012.
- ↑ Stephanie Anderson (16 December 2015). "Former speaker Anna Burke calls it quits, will not recontest seat at next election".
External links
- Personal website
- Search or browse Hansard for Anna Burke at OpenAustralia.org
- Summary of parliamentary voting for Anna Burke MP on TheyVoteForYou.org.au
| Parliament of Australia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Michael Wooldridge |
Member for Chisholm 1998–2016 |
Succeeded by Julia Banks |
| Preceded by Peter Slipper |
Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives 2012–2013 |
Succeeded by Bronwyn Bishop |