Tony Vinson

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Tony Vinson
Born	Australia
Occupation	academic and writer
Nationality	Australian
Writing period	1962-present
Subjects	Disadvantage, Penal Systems, Education
Notable work(s)	Vinson Inquiry into State Education In New South Wales

Tony Vinson, AM, is "one of Australia's leading social scientists and outspoken^[1] public intellectuals",^[2] an honorary Doctor of Letters in Social Work (honoris causa) from the University of Sydney, as well as being an Honorary Professor in the School of Social Work and Policy Studies at the University of Sydney from which he graduated in 1956. He also received an order of Australia for his dedication to Social Welfare. His career spans the disciplines of social work, social policy, psychology, education,^[3] public administration and social research. He is also an Emeritus Professor of the University of New South Wales.^[4]

Contents 1 Career 2 The Vinson Inquiry 3 Dropping off the Edge 4 Judicial accountability 5 Order of Australia 6 Australian Social Inclusion Board 7 Other work 8 Trivia 9 Academic qualifications 10 Other literature 11 References 12 Further reading

[edit] Career

Professor Vinson's long and diverse career in social research, education,^[5] government services, prison reform,^[6] and community development, has included many projects on social disadvantage^[7] and young people. Vinson has also studied the impact of cumulative medico-social problems and life opportunities generally. The determinative influence of education (or life prospects) has remained a theme in this strand of his research, culminating in the recent publication of an influential study on the distribution^[8] of social disadvantage in Victoria and New South Wales.

His work as the Foundation Professor in Behavioural science within the University of Newcastle (NSW) in the Seventies followed research into connections between social factors, and pregnancy outcomes, including the health and progress of young children. At Newcastle, an important educational experience was his involvement in the development of the problem-based learning approach adopted for the new medical course. This approach incorporated many of the key elements of the educational approach considered as somewhat radical departures in the field of school education. Professor Vinson also instigated the broadly based admission procedures adopted by the Medical Faculty.

Following three years as Head of the NSW Department of Corrective Services (1979-81) during a period of intense penal reform, Tony Vinson took up an appointment as Professor of Social Work at the University of New South Wales. Over subsequent years he has served as Head of School and Dean. He has twice been a Visiting Professor at the University of Stockholm and has observed the operation of Swedish social services, including early schooling. There have also been Visiting Professor appointments in Holland and government consultancies in the South Pacific. In 1980 Professor Vinson chaired a Commonwealth Government Inquiry into health and social services in the ACT.

In recent years Tony Vinson has had an extensive involvement in assessing schemes to protect children exposed to the dangers of abuse. Some of these projects have included the evaluation of professional practices, including the co-operation of schools with government and non-government services. Others have dealt with the social contexts and environments in which abusive practices occur. This work has been published internationally in journals such as The British Journal of Social Work and Modern Medicine as well as within Australia by the Institute of Criminology and other authorities.

On Professor Vinson's initiative, the UNSW School of Social Work, in partnership with the NSW Department of Housing, residents, and local community bodies, formed a community development centre on the Waterloo Housing Estate. Tony Vinson has had the title Professor Emeritus conferred on him by the University of New South Wales.

[edit] The Vinson Inquiry

The Vinson Inquiry^[10] provided a chance for parents, teachers and community members to challenge governments and the media about public education. The Vinson Inquiry was like a Royal Commission into public education. It is a parent/teacher venture into public policy making. The promotion of public education generated by the launch, submissions, public hearings and the findings will be invaluable.

[edit] Dropping off the Edge

Dropping off the Edge:^[12] the distribution of disadvantage in Australia was the most comprehensive national study of its kind. The report, which is a joint project with Jesuit Social Services and Catholic Social Services Australia was written by Professor Tony Vinson, from the University of Sydney, providing a picture of areas of entrenched disadvantage nationally. The report found that just 1.7 per cent of postcodes and communities across Australia accounted for more than seven times their share of top rank positions on the major factors that cause intergenerational poverty. "Our findings demand recognition of a common pattern associated with inadequate education and training–unemployment, low income, poor health and 'making ends meet' by criminal means, resulting in high rates of convictions and imprisonment. Where these characteristics are concentrated there, too, we find high levels of confirmed child maltreatment," said Professor Tony Vinson, author of the research.

[edit] Judicial accountability

In September 1986 Professor Tony Vinson released a report dealing with the sentencing of drug cases in the NSW District Court between 1980 and 1982, which purported to find that a particular judge had exercised leniency in dealing with clients of a particular solicitor. It was revealed later that Justice Foord was the judge in question. He was stood down from the District Court in September 1986 and resigned on medical grounds later that year. One consequence of these and other events was the passing of the Judicial Officers Act 1986, establishing a formalized system of judicial accountability.^[13]

[edit] Order of Australia

Tony Vinson was awarded an AM in the Australia Day honours list 2008 for his services to social welfare.^[14] The citation reads: "For service to social welfare through academic, government and community roles, as a contributor to state and federal policy formulation, and as a champion of social justice."

[edit] Australian Social Inclusion Board

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced the Australian Social Inclusion Board on the 21st May 2008, attending the first meeting of the Board which brings together leaders from around the country to tackle disadvantage. Tony Vinson was announced as a founding member.^[15]

[edit] Other work

• 1962-69 Tutor, Lecturer, School of Sociology and Social Work, University of New South Wales.
• 1969-71 Senior Lecturer, Department of Social Work, University of Sydney.
• 1971-76 Foundation Director, Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, NSW Department of Attorney General and Justice - undertaking wide-ranging social as well as criminological research.
• 1976-79 Foundation Professor of Behavioural Science in Medicine, University of Newcastle.
• 1979-81 Chairman, NSW Corrective Services Commission
• Oct 1981- Professor, School of Social Work, University of New South Wales.

[edit] Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• Wrote a jazz single which was aired on ABC radio.^[16]
• When a special guest on ABC Radio's Classic FM^[17] he chose:
  • Vivaldi: "Largo" from Lute Concerto in D - John Williams, Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra
  • Handel: "O Praise the Lord with One Consent" (Chandos Anthem No.9) - Choir of King's College, Cambridge; Sir David Willcocks.
  • Bizet: "Au fond du temple saint" (In the depths of the temple) from THE PEARL FISHERS - Jussi Bjoerling, t; Robert Merrill, bar; R.C.A. Victor Symphony Orchestra / Emil Markow
  • Nina Rota: "LA STRADA" - Czech Symphony Orchestra/ Derek Wadsworth.
  • Vaughan Williams: conclusion of The Lark Ascending - Tasmin Little, v; BBC Symphony Orchestra / Andrew Davis.

[edit] Academic qualifications

B.A., Dip. Soc. Studies (Sydney) 1956; Dip. Sociology (N.S.W.) 1962; M.A. Hons. (N.S.W.) 1965; Ph.D. (N.S.W.) 1972: Thesis - Social Factors Associated with the Occurrence of Low Birth Weight

• Australian Social Welfare Commission Fellowship, April/June 1976

(University of Newcastle).

• Visiting Professor, University of Stockholm January - March, 1985;

March - July, 1988.

• Visiting Professor, Research Centre, Ministry of Justice, Netherlands,

April - July, 1985, February, 1988.

• Editor Board, Scandinavian Journal of Social Welfare, 1991 -

[edit] Other literature

• Vinson, T., Homel, R., Indicators of Community Wellbeing. Canberra:

Australian Government Publishing Service, 1977.

• Vinson, T., Homel, R., Crime and Disadvantage: The Coincidence of

Medical and Social Problems in an Australian City, British Journal of Criminology, Vol. 15, No. 1, January, 1975.

• Vinson, T., Homel, R., Bonney, R., A Community Study: Newcastle,

Community Services: Four Studies, Poverty Commission, Australian Government Publishing Service: Canberra, 1976.

• Vinson, T., Stevens, L.A., Unequal at Birth: A Study of Social Factors

Associated with Low Weight Births, Sydney: New South Wales Government Printer, 1977.

• Vinson, T., Walmsley, R. and Coul, V., Beyond the Image. Review of

Health and Welfare Services and Policies in the ACT., (Canberra, Australian Government Printing Service, 1984)

• Vinson, T., and McArthur, M., Why Child Abuse Appears to have

Increased, Modern Medicine, Sept. 1988, 62-73.

• Vinson, T., Baldry, E., Hargreaves, J., The Social Ecology of Child

Abuse, to be published in Br. J. of Social Work.

• Vinson, T., Preparing Human Service Professionals for work in the

fields of gender related violence, to be published in Scandinavian Jr. of Social Welfare.

Tony Vinson has been published in a range of international, referred journals including British Journal of Criminology, British Journal of Social Work, Anglo-American Law Review, Journal of APLET, Scandinavian Journal ofSocial Welfare, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology.

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Vinson on Social Cohesion
• Tony Vinson ‘Unequal in Life,’ 1999
• Tony Vinson 'Dropping off the Edge'

Persondata
NAME	Vinson, Tony
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Australian-born academic
DATE OF BIRTH
PLACE OF BIRTH	Australia
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH