| Austin Bernicke | |
| Office1: | Minister for Health and Education |
| Term1: | 1968–1976 |
| Successor1: | Lawrence Stephen |
| Office2: | Member of Parliament |
| Term2: | 1966–1977 |
| Constituency2: | Buada |
| Office3: | Member of the Local Government Council |
| Term3: | 1951– |
| Birth Place: | Nauru |
| Death Date: | 13 January 1977 (aged 68) |
| Death Place: | Nauru |
Austin Bernicke (died 13 January 1977) was a Nauruan politician. He was a member of the first Local Government Council in 1951, then a member of Parliament after it was established in 1966, serving until his death in 1977. He also served as a cabinet minister from 1968 until 1976.
Bernicke was a member of the Eamwitmwit tribe.[1] He became the first Nauruan to attend university when he began studying medicine at Queen's College at the University of Melbourne.[2] He returned to Nauru to work as a pathologist, later becoming superintendent of Nauru Hospital.[3] Bernicke contested the first elections to the Local Government Council in 1951 and was elected from the Denigomodu, Nibok, Uaboe and Baiti constituency.[4] He later became the council's secretary.[4]
In 1966 Bernicke was elected to the new Legislative Council in the Buada Constituency.[4] He was also elected to the Constitutional Convention the following year and was elected Deputy Chairman of the body.[4] After being re-elected to a renamed Legislative Assembly in 1968, he was nominated as a candidate for the presidency, but declined. However, he was elected to the Council of State, becoming Minister for Health and Education.[5] The Legislative Assembly became Parliament upon independence later in the year.
Bernicke was re-elected in 1971 and 1973, retaining his ministerial portfolio following both elections.[6] [7] Although he was re-elected again in 1976, he was excluded from the new cabinet.[7] He died in January 1977 at the age of 68.[7] His grandson Shadlog Bernicke later became an MP.