David Vigor
Encyclopedia
David Bernard Vigor was a member of the Australian Senate
, representing the Australian Democrats
and the Unite Australia Party
.
Born in Elboeuf, France
to an English
mother and French
father, the infant Vigor and his family caught the last ferry to England
prior to the start of World War II
. After returning to France at war's end, the Vigor family migrated to Adelaide
, Australia
in 1951.
Vigor attended Adelaide Boys' High School and the University of Adelaide
, graduating in pure mathematics and French, and then transferred to Monash University
as one of its first intake of research students. It was here Vigor met his future wife, Susan.
Following his period at Monash, Vigor lectured in Glasgow
for three years while he conducted ground breaking research into data representation and machine intelligence, placing him at the forefront of Information Technology
research. After a period based in London
working as a consultant on IT and data collection issues, Vigor returned to Adelaide in 1971 as the director of the South Australian Institute of Technology (now the University of South Australia
) Computer Centre.
Vigor joined the Liberal Movement soon after its formation and drafted its education and rural policies. Following the party's dissolution, Vigor joined the New LM
of Robin Millhouse
and was heavily involved in founding the Australian Democrats in 1977.
After unsuccessfully contesting the 1980
and 1983
federal elections, Vigor gained pre-selection to the No. 1 position on the South Australian Democrats' Senate ticket at the 1984 election and gained election as a senator for that state.
As a senator, Vigor was notable for his lengthy questioning of government policy during Senate committees and Question Time. He also worked on issues like a scheme to provide risk capital to inventors, effective labelling and packaging of consumer products, the introduction of the Hare-Clark voting system to the Australian Capital Territory
, highlighting problems with the Australia Card
and banning smoking on aircraft.
Vigor's time in the Senate was cut short when the Hawke
Labor
government called a double dissolution
election in 1987. He lost pre-selection for the winnable first position on the Democrats' Senate ticket to party leader Janine Haines
and, in response, joined fellow disaffected Democrat Senator John Siddons
's Unite Australia Party
(UAP). Vigor stood unsuccessfully as the UAP's lead South Australian Senate candidate at the 1987 election and returned to computer consultancy and software development.
Vigor died from a heart attack at his home in Sandy Creek, South Australia
, aged 58, survived by his wife, five sons, two daughters and seven grandchildren.
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
, representing the Australian Democrats
Australian Democrats
The Australian Democrats is an Australian political party espousing a socially liberal ideology. It was formed in 1977, by a merger of the Australia Party and the New LM, after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp, as a high profile leader...
and the Unite Australia Party
Unite Australia Party
The Unite Australia Party was a short-lived Australian political party that existed in the late 1980s.In December 1986, Senator John Siddons, former deputy leader of the Australian Democrats, quit the Democrats to form the UAP, arguing that the Democrats under leader Janine Haines had moved too...
.
Born in Elboeuf, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
mother and French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
father, the infant Vigor and his family caught the last ferry to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
prior to the start of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After returning to France at war's end, the Vigor family migrated to Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1951.
Vigor attended Adelaide Boys' High School and the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
, graduating in pure mathematics and French, and then transferred to Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
as one of its first intake of research students. It was here Vigor met his future wife, Susan.
Following his period at Monash, Vigor lectured in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
for three years while he conducted ground breaking research into data representation and machine intelligence, placing him at the forefront of Information Technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
research. After a period based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
working as a consultant on IT and data collection issues, Vigor returned to Adelaide in 1971 as the director of the South Australian Institute of Technology (now the University of South Australia
University of South Australia
The University of South Australia is a public university in the Australian state of South Australia. It was formed in 1991 with the merger of the South Australian Institute of Technology and Colleges of Advanced Education. It is the largest university in South Australia, with more than 36,000...
) Computer Centre.
Vigor joined the Liberal Movement soon after its formation and drafted its education and rural policies. Following the party's dissolution, Vigor joined the New LM
New LM
The New Liberal Movement was a South Australian political party that had parliamentary representation during the mid-1970s.Formed by Robin Millhouse on 6 May 1976 following the dissolution of the Liberal Movement, the New LM sought to be the true liberal party in South Australia, arguing that the...
of Robin Millhouse
Robin Millhouse
Robin Rhodes Millhouse QC has been, at various times, the South Australian Attorney-General, the first Australian Democrats parliamentarian, and the Chief Justice of both Kiribati and Nauru....
and was heavily involved in founding the Australian Democrats in 1977.
After unsuccessfully contesting the 1980
Australian federal election, 1980
Federal elections were held in Australia on 18 October 1980. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives, and 34 of the 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia led by Malcolm Fraser with coalition partner the National Country Party led by Doug...
and 1983
Australian federal election, 1983
Federal elections were held in Australia on 5 March 1983. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election, following a double dissolution...
federal elections, Vigor gained pre-selection to the No. 1 position on the South Australian Democrats' Senate ticket at the 1984 election and gained election as a senator for that state.
As a senator, Vigor was notable for his lengthy questioning of government policy during Senate committees and Question Time. He also worked on issues like a scheme to provide risk capital to inventors, effective labelling and packaging of consumer products, the introduction of the Hare-Clark voting system to the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
, highlighting problems with the Australia Card
Australia Card
The Australia Card was a controversial proposal for a national identification card for Australian citizens and resident foreigners. The proposal was made in 1985, and abandoned in 1987....
and banning smoking on aircraft.
Vigor's time in the Senate was cut short when the Hawke
Bob Hawke
Robert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia from March 1983 to December 1991 and therefore longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....
Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
government called a double dissolution
Double dissolution
A double dissolution is a procedure permitted under the Australian Constitution to resolve deadlocks between the House of Representatives and the Senate....
election in 1987. He lost pre-selection for the winnable first position on the Democrats' Senate ticket to party leader Janine Haines
Janine Haines
Janine Haines, AM , Australian politician, was the first female federal parliamentary leader of an Australian political party. An Australian Democrat, she was also the first member of that party to enter the federal parliament after the party's formation...
and, in response, joined fellow disaffected Democrat Senator John Siddons
John Siddons
John Royston Siddons was an Australian politician. He was a businessman and the executive chairman of Siddons Industries Ltd. before entering politics. In 1980, he was elected to the Australian Senate as a Democrats senator for Victoria...
's Unite Australia Party
Unite Australia Party
The Unite Australia Party was a short-lived Australian political party that existed in the late 1980s.In December 1986, Senator John Siddons, former deputy leader of the Australian Democrats, quit the Democrats to form the UAP, arguing that the Democrats under leader Janine Haines had moved too...
(UAP). Vigor stood unsuccessfully as the UAP's lead South Australian Senate candidate at the 1987 election and returned to computer consultancy and software development.
Vigor died from a heart attack at his home in Sandy Creek, South Australia
Sandy Creek, South Australia
Sandy Creek is a town in South Australia. The town is situated approximately 6 kilometres east of Gawler and is the last town passed through before you enter the historic Barossa Valley at Lyndoch. The Sandy Creek conservation park is nearby....
, aged 58, survived by his wife, five sons, two daughters and seven grandchildren.