Joseph Burnett (26 December 1899 – 19 November 1941) was a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) officer most widely known as the captain of the light cruiser in the battle between HMAS "Sydney" and HSK "Kormoran" on 19 November 1941. He fought in both the First World War and Second World War, serving in the RAN and the Royal Navy (RN), and went down with the "Sydney" off the coast of Western Australia.