The 31-year-old will replace defender Jamie Coyne as skipper at the club.
“It’s an absolute privilege and honour to lead such a great group of lads,” Burns said.
“There’s a lot of talent in this squad and I’m just happy to be back in ‘Oz’ and to lead Perth into the finals.
“Tony (owner Tony Sage) has invested some great money into some talented players to come back. I’m looking forward to getting into the finals this year and pushing into the ACL.
“We’ve got a great mix. We’ve got a lot of youth, a lot of foreigners that have come in. It’s got a great history the club.
“When I used to come here 10 years ago they’d win the league every year.
“So it’s my job to get the boys firing, be a leader on the pitch and get the crowds back here and make it to finals football, so I’ll do everything within my powers to do that.”
