Graham Burkett


Graham John Burkett was an Australian politician who served as a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1983 to 1989, representing the seat of Scarborough.

Early life and politics

Born in Perth, Burkett worked as a bank officer and small business owner before entering politics. He was elected to the City of Stirling council in 1973, and served as mayor from 1979 to 1983. At the 1983 state election, Burkett contested the seat of Scarborough for the Labor Party, defeating the sitting Liberal member, Ray Young. He increased his margin at the 1986 election, and afterward was elected deputy speaker to Mike Barnett, having previously served as deputy government whip and deputy chairman of committees. However, a redistribution prior to the 1989 election narrowed his margin in Scarborough, and he subsequently suffered a large swing, losing the seat to the Liberals' George Strickland.

Later life

After leaving parliament, Burkett worked as a DEA agent for Department of Planning and a community liaison officer for Main Roads. He was elected to the Town of Cambridge council in 1997, and served until 2004. From 2001 to 2004, Burkett additionally worked as chief of staff to Nick Griffiths, the Minister for Government Enterprises in the Gallop government. A later investigation by the Corruption and Crime Commission found that he had taken bribes while in the position, and in February 2006 he was sentenced to 14 months in jail for corruption. The CCC also found that Burkett had links to various organised crime figures.