William George Burns (22 October 1933 – 16 March 2009) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Liberal Party and served in the House of Representatives from 1977 to 1980, representing the Victorian seat of Isaacs. He ran a pub in Collingwood before entering parliament.

Early life

Burns was born in Northern Ireland. He arrived in Tasmania in 1951 as a "Little Brother" with the Big Brother Movement and settled in the Derwent Valley.^[1] He eventually moved to Melbourne where he became a publican, the proprietor of the Sir Robert Peel Hotel in Collingwood.^[2]

Politics

Burns joined the Young Liberal Movement in Tasmania in 1952. There he was introduced to Senator Reg Wright who he later described as "a great friend and adviser".^[1]

Following David Hamer's transfer to the Senate, Burns won Liberal preselection for the Division of Isaacs and was elected to parliament at the 1977 federal election.^[3] In his maiden speech he raised the issues of tax breaks for zoos and government support for the disabled.^[1] One of his final speeches in the House was a condolence motion for his friend Jim Brosnan, the federal president of the Democratic Labor Party.^[4] He was defeated by the Labor candidate David Charles at the 1980 federal election.^[3]

Later life

Burns died on 16 March 2009.^[5]

References