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Brian Burston
Brian Burston
Leader of One Nation NSW
	In office; 31 March 2010 – 17 June 2018
Preceded by	Judith Newson
Succeeded by	Mark Latham
Senate Whip
	In office; 30 August 2016 – 24 May 2018
Succeeded by	Peter Georgiou
Senator for New South Wales
	In office; 2 July 2016 – 30 June 2019
Leader of the United Australia Party; in the Senate
	In office; 18 June 2018 – 30 June 2019
Leader	Clive Palmer
Preceded by	Glenn Lazarus
Succeeded by	Ralph Babet
Deputy Leader of the United Australia Party
	In office; 24 May 2007 – 31 March 2010
Leader	Pauline Hanson
Preceded by	Party created
Succeeded by	Party dissolved
National Director of One Nation
	In office; 4 October 2000 – 5 August 2002; Alongside David Ettridge
Leader	John Fischer
Preceded by	David Oldfield
Succeeded by	Ian Nelson
Personal details
Born	25 February 1948 (age 76); Cessnock, New South Wales, Australia
Political party	United Australia (since 2018)
Other political; affiliations	One Nation NSW (2000–2004); Pauline's UAP (2007–2010); One Nation (1997–2000; 2010–2018)
Residence	Coal Point, New South Wales[citation needed]
Education	Cessnock High School
Alma mater	Hunter Institute of TAFE; Sydney Institute of TAFE; Sydney Teachers' College
Occupation	Boilermaker; Draftsman; Politician

Brian Burston (born 25 February 1948) is a former Australian politician. He was a Senator for New South Wales from 2016 to 2019, originally representing One Nation.^[1] After falling out with party leader Pauline Hanson over company tax cuts, Burston left One Nation and joined businessman Clive Palmer's newly relaunched United Australia Party. Palmer announced Burston as the new parliamentary leader of the party on 18 June 2018, but Burston failed to win re-election at the 2019 federal election.^[2]

Early life

Burston was born and grew up in Cessnock, New South Wales. He started an apprenticeship as a boilermaker with BHP when he was 15. He has taught at TAFE NSW, trained TAFE teachers at Newcastle University and worked as a contract draftsman. He was employed at the former Newcastle Teachers College.

He has been a councillor on Cessnock City Council. He married at the age of 22, had three children and later divorced. He married his second wife, a teacher named Rosie, in 2008. Their home overlooks Lake Macquarie.^[3]

Burston became a member of Pauline Hanson's One Nation soon after its inception.^[4] He is a former National Director of One Nation, having served alongside David Ettridge. In concert with the overthrow and imprisonment of Pauline Hanson, Burston left Pauline Hanson's One Nation and joined One Nation NSW, a splinter group of Pauline Hanson's One Nation, founded and led by David Oldfield. After Oldfield abandoned One Nation NSW, Burston rejoined Pauline Hanson's One Nation.

Senator (2016–2019)

After Burston was elected to the Senate at the 2016 federal election, he was elected as One Nation's party whip.^[5]

In his maiden speech to parliament, Burston warned that large-scale immigration was undermining social cohesion, placing pressure on infrastructure and housing affordability and increasing crime in Australia.^[6] He also criticised "aggressive multiculturalism", stating:

It seems that every group pride is promoted in the media and schools except for ours, the nation's. The ABC long ago abandoned any semblance of patriotism, or even balance. Other taxpayer-funded media – SBS and NITV – serve immigrants and indigenous Australians. The national flag is often ignored or dishonoured in schools, while multiculturalism and indigenous issues are now part of the curriculum. The majority of students are not supported in their Anglo-Australian identity, but are made to feel guilty for supposed historical injustices committed by their ancestors.

Burston is a public opponent of same sex marriage, and was one of twelve senators who voted against what became the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017.^[7] In 2017, he was one of ten senators to vote in favour of Cory Bernardi's motion to ban gender-selective abortion. It was defeated by ten votes to 36.^[8]^[9]

In May 2018, Burston announced he would support the Turnbull government's proposed corporate tax cuts, a move that contradicted One Nation policy. He was soon demoted from the role of party whip,^[10] and reportedly attempted to leave One Nation for the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party.^[11]^[12] On 18 June 2018, he told the Senate he had resigned from One Nation to sit as an independent,^[13] but later that day he announced that he would join Clive Palmer's United Australia Party, as party leader.^[2]^[14] He became part of the economically conservative voting bloc formed by crossbench Senators David Leyonhjelm, Cory Bernardi and Fraser Anning.^[15]

In February 2019, Burston accused fellow Party Leader and Senator Pauline Hanson of sexual harassment, in an incident which occurred in 1998.^[16] Burston was defeated at the 2019 federal election.^[17]