| Company type | Shell company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Shipping |
| Predecessor | Bast  |
| Founded | April 1883 |
| Founder | James Burns and Robert Philp |
| Fate | Cashed up |
| Headquarters | , Australia |
| Owner | Graeme Hart |
| Parent | Rank Group |
Burns Philp (properly Burns, Philp & Co, Limited) was a major Australian shipping line and merchant that operated in the South Pacific. When the well-populated islands around New Guinea were targeted for blackbirding in the 1880s, a new rush for labour from these islands began. James Burns and Robert Philp purchased several well-known blackbirding ships to quickly exploit the human resource in this region, and Burns Philp entered the slave trade. The company ended its involvement in blackbirding in 1886.[1][2] In later years the company was a major player in the food manufacturing business. Since its delisting from the Australian Securities Exchange in December 2006 and the subsequent sale of its assets, the company has mainly become a cashed up shell company. It is wholly owned by Graeme Hart's Rank Group (not to be confused with the British company of the same name).
- ^ Docker, Edward W. (1970). The Blackbirders, The Recruiting of South Seas Labour for Queensland, 1863-1907. Angus and Robertson. pp. 43, 174–175, 191, 214, 219, 261. ISBN 978-0-207-12038-1.
- ^ Davis, Emelda (3 June 2015). "'Blackbirding' shame yet to be acknowledged in Australia". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 September 2020.