Don Burke is the subject of several sexual harassment and indecent assault allegations that surfaced on Monday in an investigation by Fairfax Media and the ABC. He has denied the allegations.
The 70-year-old TV personality fronted the Australian horticulture and lifestyle show Burke’s Backyard for nearly two decades on Channel Nine.
Born in Sydney, he joined the broadcaster while he was working at Bond's Nursery in the city's Northern Beaches. Along with his wife of 50 years, Marea, he launched TV production company CTC Productions in 1990, where he was a co-producer.
A 1996 episode of Burke's Backyard. Source: Supplied
Marea was diagnosed with Arteriovenous Malformation - a disorder of the blood vessels that can cause headaches, confusion and memory lapses. The couple have two children, Christine and Sean, according to Bauer Media.
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Don Burke denies sexual harassment allegations
They met at a debating event where Burke was an adjudicator.
"I was wearing white and he said I looked like a nun," Marea told A Current Affair in 2015.
"And as it turned out, I was right. Her sister's a nun," Burke said during the interview with host Tracy Grimshaw.
Grimshaw then asked: "You thought that because she looked like a nun, she'd be a challenge and that piqued your interest?"
"Yes, I'm sure that was a case," Burke responded, calling her his "soulmate" and "best friend" during the interview.
Burke's Backyard ran from 1987 until it was axed in 2004. Burke was also executive producer on the TV series Backyard Blitz.
TV gardener Don Burke. Source: Fairfax Media/ Wolter Peeters
According to Fairfax Media, Burke's gross income for 2004 was $7.2 million.
He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2010 and served as president of the Australian Institute of Horticulture.
Don Burke can be seen below in a recent video published on the Burke's Backyard YouTube channel.
The allegations
Burke has been accused by multiple women of alleged sexual harassment, indecent assault and bullying during his time at the Nine Network in the 1980s and 90s.
It follows the widespread allegations of sexual assault against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten told ABC Radio that the allegations against Burke were “sickening” and “shocking”.
“To the victims of this [alleged] sexual harassment, coming forward cannot have been easy, so they are to be congratulated... Millions of Australians have watched this show on television and I think they will be shocked by these revelations," he said.
“I wonder if Australians thought when you had the Harvey Weinstein scandals emerge in Hollywood, did we think we were immune? Perhaps we hoped we were, but clearly, we are not.
Burke's statement
Burke has denied all allegations, which he called “opportunistic” and “baseless”, and says they were made by ex-employees with a grudge against him.
In a statement, he said: “I am deeply hurt and outraged at the false and defamatory claims made.
“The bitter irony is that I have had a lifelong opposition to sexism and misogyny. [...] I am a sitting duck because I was also the main presenter of this eponymously-named program. This is almost unheard of in the television world.
“I largely ran the program and oversaw the hiring and firing of employees. Inevitably, this led to me being involved in the dismissal of some employees who underperformed or who behaved in an improper manner.”
He also disputed the bullying allegations, which he claimed stemmed from the pressure to perform at a high level.
“If even one or two employees in the BBV team were below standard, this could lead to the cancelling of the program and the loss of the jobs of about 40 people. This is the nature of prime-time TV,” he said.
