Anthony "Tony" Van Vliet (22 October 1933 – 16 October 1982) was an Australian politician. A teacher by profession, he was elected to the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Co ...

as the Labor Party member for

Waverley Province Waverley Province was an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Council. It existed as a two-member electorate from 1976 to 2006, with members holding alternating eight-year terms. It was a marginal seat for its entire existence, often changin ...

at the 1982 state election, but died suddenly before he could be sworn in. Van Vliet was born and raised in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. He moved to Australia in 1952, subsequently studying education at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

. He was a teacher and careers counsellor at Monash High School from 1972 to 1981, and was the deputy principal at Moorabbin High School at the time of his election in 1982. He was actively involved in teachers unions throughout his career, serving as the secretary of his school branch and serving on the central committee of the

Victorian Secondary Teachers Association The Victorian Secondary Teachers Association (VSTA) was a Victorian trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the cond ...

from 1973 to 1974. He was also involved in a number of community groups, serving stints as treasurer of the Westernport Regional Council for Social Development and president of the Springvale Community Aid Bureau. Van Vliet had made two previous unsuccessful attempts to enter parliament as the Labor candidate for the Legislative Assembly seat of

Noble Park Noble Park is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 25 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Greater Dandenong local government area. Noble Park recorded a population of 32,257 at the . ...

at the 1976 election and 1979 election before deciding to run for the Legislative Council in 1982. He won Labor preselection to contest the marginal Liberal-held Legislative Council seat of

at the 1982 state election and was successful in the state election, winning the open seat amidst Labor's statewide victory under John Cain. He fell ill soon after, and was unable to be sworn in to take his seat before his sudden death on 16 October. The resulting by-election was won by Labor candidate

Brian Mier Brian William Mier (21 February 1935 – 12 September 2009) was an Australian politician. He was born in Footscray in Melbourne to Edward Alexander Mier, a dispatch clerk, and Elsie Elizabeth, ''née'' Hunter. He attended local state school ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Vliet, Tony 1933 births 1982 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria Vliet, Tony Members of the Victorian Legislative Council Vliet, Tony 20th-century Australian politicians