Tony Vinson AM (11 November 1935 – 17 February 2017) was an Australian academic, regarded as "one of Australia's leading social scientists and outspoken[2] public intellectuals".
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 1970s 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.
Following three years as Head of the NSW Department of Corrective Services (1979–81) during a period of intense penal reform, Vinson took up an appointment as Professor of Social Work at the University of New South Wales.
He was a visiting professor at the University of Stockholm twice, and observed the operation of Swedish social services, including early schooling.
This purpose-built community centre in Mildura, named after Vinson is designed to co-locate agency programs Chances for Children, Reading Discovery, Learning for Life, The Portland House Project and the proposed Youth Engagement Program for Early years.
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.
Vinson said: "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.
[14] On 21 May 2008, Vinson was announced as a founding member of the Australian Social Inclusion Board, which brought together leaders from around the country to tackle disadvantage.