Federal Parliament
Burke was appointed as Shadow Minister for Small Business immediately after his election, and in June 2005 was promoted to Shadow Minister for Immigration. In December 2006 Kevin Rudd was elected leader and conducted a further reshuffle, expanding the portfolio to Immigration, Integration and Citizenship. On 29 November 2007, Burke was selected by the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as the next Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and was sworn in on 3 December 2007.
On 2 April 2010, Kevin Rudd announced that Burke was the inaugural federal Minister for Population. The responsibilities of the office were to include planning the growth of the Australian population and coordinating provision of services to the increasing numbers of people living in Australia.
Following the 2010 Australian election, he was appointed Minister of the new portfolio of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. When Julia Gillard reshuffled her Cabinet in March 2012, following an ALP leadership spill, Burke was given the additional portfolio of Vice-President of the Executive Council.
Burke is the first Minister to use an iPad when answering questions during Question Time in the House of Representatives. Traditionally, ministers use notes on pieces of paper as an aide-mémoire in responding to questions at the dispatch box.
In early 2011 (after delaying his decision due to Gunns Limited coming to his department and asking for tougher environment standards to be imposed on their proposed pulp mill development) Burke gave final approval for the proposed pulp mill in the Tamar Valley to go ahead, subject to tougher environmental conditions requested by the company itself. Burke said that many of the demands made by environmental groups opposed to the development had been addressed.
He is a very popular personality in the media, thus he appears on Channel 7's Sunrise on Friday mornings with Joe Hockey.
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