[2] As a young man Burns was Chair of the Melbourne SKIF; the youth wing of the Australian Jewish Labour Bund.

[3] He was a staffer for Labor federal MP Michael Danby, and from 2014 to 2019 worked as a senior adviser to the Premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews.

[4] Burns ran as the Labor candidate for the seat of Caulfield in the 2014 Victorian state election and gained a 4.9% swing against Liberal incumbent David Southwick.

The unsuccessful candidate, Mary Delahunty accused the branch of working against her because she was the only woman and only non Jewish person running for preselection.

[6] The election was considered to be a three-cornered contest as both the Liberal Party and the Greens viewed themselves as a realistic chance of winning the seat from Labor.

[7] At the election Burns increased Labor's primary vote and won the seat with a two-party-preferred swing of 5.04% in his favour, against Liberal candidate Kate Ashmor.

[19] Burns supports a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and has stated that he "desperately want[s] to see a peace agreement signed between the Israelis and the Palestinians" in his lifetime.

[20] In October 2022, he publicly criticised the Albanese government for its decision to revoke Australia's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel.