Barbara Vernon
Encyclopedia
Barbara Vernon PhD is an Australia
n birth activist who lobbies government for improved provision of maternity services, particularly the expert use of midwives. She was the Executive Officer of the Australian College of Midwives
from 2002 to 2010.
Born in New South Wales
she moved to Canberra
in the mid 1970s. She did an Honours Degree in Political Science at the Australian National University
and in 1997 was awarded a PhD in public policy from Griffith University
in Brisbane
, Queensland
.
Vernon worked in the Australian Bureau of Statistics
and the Commonwealth Department of the Environment, before becoming the President of the Maternity Coalition
, a position she held for two years. While President, she and Dr Tracy Reibel drafted the National Maternity Action Plan
. In 2003, she was appointed Executive Officer of the Australian College of Midwives
. In 2008, she was appointed by Nicola Roxon
, the Minister of Health, to the External Reference Group developing the National Primary Health Care Strategy.
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...
n birth activist who lobbies government for improved provision of maternity services, particularly the expert use of midwives. She was the Executive Officer of the Australian College of Midwives
Australian College of Midwives
The Australian College of Midwives is the peak professional organisation representing midwives and midwifery policy in Australia.Key strategies of the ACM are to:* Provide a unified political voice for the midwifery profession...
from 2002 to 2010.
Born in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
she moved to Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
in the mid 1970s. She did an Honours Degree in Political Science at the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
and in 1997 was awarded a PhD in public policy from Griffith University
Griffith University
Griffith University is a public, coeducational, research university located in the southeastern region of the Australian state of Queensland. The university has five satellite campuses located in the Gold Coast, Logan City and in the Brisbane suburbs of Mount Gravatt, Nathan and South Bank. Current...
in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.
Vernon worked in the Australian Bureau of Statistics
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
and the Commonwealth Department of the Environment, before becoming the President of the Maternity Coalition
Maternity Coalition
The Maternity Coalition is an Australian advocacy group which aims to improve the provision of maternity services to parents. It consists of individuals as well as other non-government organisations.-Philosophy:The Maternity Coalition:...
, a position she held for two years. While President, she and Dr Tracy Reibel drafted the National Maternity Action Plan
National Maternity Action Plan
The National Maternity Action Plan is an Australian document prepared by maternity consumer groups to alter the way Governments fund and resource maternity services.-History:...
. In 2003, she was appointed Executive Officer of the Australian College of Midwives
Australian College of Midwives
The Australian College of Midwives is the peak professional organisation representing midwives and midwifery policy in Australia.Key strategies of the ACM are to:* Provide a unified political voice for the midwifery profession...
. In 2008, she was appointed by Nicola Roxon
Nicola Roxon
Nicola Louise Roxon is an Australian politician, and is the Minister for Health and Ageing. She has been a Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives since 1998, representing the Division of Gellibrand, in the inner-western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria.-Early and personal life:She...
, the Minister of Health, to the External Reference Group developing the National Primary Health Care Strategy.
Publications
- Midwifery in Australia - emerging from the shadows with Jenny GambleJenny GambleJenny Gamble PhD was the President of the Queensland Branch of the Australian College of Midwives and National President of the Australian College of Midwives from 2009-2010, an author, academic and midwife....
in "Midwifery - freedom to practise?", ed Lindsay Reid, Churchill Livingston Elsevier, 2007, ISBN 978-0-443-10312-4