Vanessa Goodwin: tribute to a brilliant mind

BEHIND Vanessa Goodwin’s disarmingly kind eyes and cherubic face was an inquisitive, incisive and quite brilliant mind.

Vanessa Goodwin was respected by all sides of politics as Tasmania's attorney-general. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

BEHIND Vanessa Goodwin’s disarmingly kind eyes and cherubic face was an inquisitive, incisive and quite brilliant mind.

Former Tasmanian governor Sir Guy Green worked closely with Dr Goodwin over many years, first when she was an associate to him as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Tasmania, then as his research officer at Government House, and finally in his many roles as a patron of the arts when she was Minister for the Arts.

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Sir Guy encouraged Dr Goodwin to pursue her interest in criminology by completing postgraduate study at the University of Cambridge in England.

“She’s a very intelligent and inquiring person and she always handled everything without problems,” Sir Guy said.

This was a common refrain from those who knew her.

Tasmanian Governor Kate Warner worked with Dr Goodwin as supervisor of her PhD thesis.

Vanessa Goodwin during Budget estimates in 2015. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

Prof Warner said she was impressed when her student managed to complete her studies part-time, saying the incredible demands often saw part-timers pull out, simply unable to keep focus on a project of such breadth and depth.

Prof Warner, however, said Dr Goodwin was always engaged and focused, and took everything in her stride, without ruffling a hair.

Not once did she have a “meltdown” as so many other students did, and is regarded somewhat of a rite of passage when attempting a doctorate.

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Dr Goodwin contested three elections while completing her PhD.

“She was always so together,” Prof Warner said. “It’s sad we had her for such a short time.”

Sir Guy said Dr Goodwin was warm-hearted and had a rare presence, which allowed her to connect with people on first meeting.

“That agreeable expression and attentive way of engagement is not superficial, she really listens to people,” Sir Guy said.

As chairman of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and as a member of the Ten Days on the Island, Sir Guy watched Dr Goodwin mix with the art world at many functions.

“One thing I noticed is how she engaged wonderfully in the field of the arts,” he said. “Just a few days before her diagnosis we saw her at a Ten Days event.”

He said Dr Goodwin’s role assisting him in court was complicated and difficult.

“It can be demanding taking control of court, but she always handled it well,” he said.

Goodwin was not only academically gifted, she was also a fitness enthusiast, who enjoyed cycling, running and bushwalking, having walked the Kokoda Track and climbed Federation Peak.

Vanessa Goodwin relaxes at home in 2015 with her dog Sophie. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

After she completed her master’s degree at Cambridge, Goodwin returned home to Tasmania to work in the Department of Police and Emergency Management for over 11 years, with responsibility for research, managing crime prevention projects and developing policy advice.

During that time she conducted research into burglary, repeat victimisation and intergenerational crime for her PhD in law from the University of Tasmania.

Her work in this area was groundbreaking and highly regarded.

It involved interviewing 60 Tasmanian prison inmates.

Few justice ministers or attorneys-general have possessed such an intimate and personal understanding of those from the wrong side of the tracks.

Her inaugural speech as a Member of the Legislative Council reveals that her first-hand experience with people living in poverty, and coping with intergenerational crime and disadvantage made her a compassionate advocate who was very concerned with the welfare of those who struggle.

Tasmanian Governor Kate Warner said Vanessa Goodwin was always engaged and focused. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

“This research has highlighted the strong link between child protection involvement and subsequent involvement in crime so I also support the reforms to the child protection system, particularly the focus on providing family support at an early stage to try to prevent child protection involvement and also the focus on assertive outreach to try to engage hard-to-reach families,” Dr Goodwin told parliament in 2009.

“In tackling the problems we now face in relation to intergenerational welfare dependence and social exclusion, we must be extremely careful not to repeat the social policy mistakes of the past.

“I believe that the decision that the State Government took in the mid‑1970s to create a number of broadacre public housing estates in Tasmania in comparatively isolated areas with inadequate services has led to the concentration of disadvantage over several generations and contributed to our high rate of welfare dependence and low educational attainment.

“In my view, it would be foolhardy in the extreme not to learn from these lessons of the past. Simply put, we must not create any further housing developments that are likely to lead to concentration of disadvantage in new suburbs or compound the existing situation in our broadacre housing estates.”

As attorney-general in the Hodgman Liberal Government, Dr Goodwin was required to introduce harsher mandatory sentencing laws and abolish suspended sentences, which put her at odds with many in the legal fraternity.

“Even in this she took a measured, careful response,” Prof Warner said.

Dr Goodwin studied the results of such laws in other places and conducted a five-year process to ensure a balanced outcome was reached.

Balance was a feature of Dr Goodwin’s political approach.

“As a Liberal I am very much pro-development, particularly when a new development promises to create ongoing employment opportunities for Tasmania,” she said in her inaugural speech as an MP.

“I believe, however, that a development must be environmentally responsible, meet a demonstrated need or market and have obvious economic and social benefits to the community.

“There is a lot of cynicism and distrust of politicians and perhaps this is not surprising, given some of the recent events in Tasmanian politics. It is imperative that we restore trust in government decisions. I believe that an integrity commission with a strong emphasis on promoting ethical behaviour and the prevention of misconduct is vital to help restore community confidence.”