Vince Dobinson
Trade Unionist Vince Dobinson was elected as a delegate of the Queensland branch of the Builders Labourers Federation in 1959, serving as an organiser 1962-72. He was elected as State Secretary from 1972-90. At federal level, he was the President of the Australian Builders Labourers Federation from 1974 until its deregistration in 1986. He reflects on his roles at both a state and federal level, discussing the changing nature of the construction industry and unionism within Queensland.
Vince Dobinson
Biography
In 1972 Vince Dobinson was elected as the Secretary of the Queensland branch of the Builders Labourers Federation, a position he held until his retirement in 1990. Dobinson was the Federal President of the Australian Builders Labourers Federation from 1974, being formally elected to the position in 1977 and continuing in the role until the Federation’s controversial deregistration in 1986. Throughout his 18-year career as State Secretary Dobinson was active in implementing superannuation in the industry, addressing safety concerns as well as organising the union throughout various social justice and political campaigns in Queensland.
Vince Dobinson was born on 10 June 1927 in Durham, England, and his family migrated to Australia in 1928. He was educated at Darra State School leaving at the age of 13. After working miscellaneous jobs around Brisbane, Dobinson began working as a builder’s labourer at the University of Queensland in 1952, when he joined the Builders Labourers Federation.
Elected first as a delegate in 1959, Dobinson later worked as an organiser from 1962 before taking up the position of State Secretary in 1972. As Secretary, Dobinson was active throughout the ‘green ban’ campaigns of the early 1970s and was influential in fighting for superannuation in the industry, assisting in the establishment of BUSS(Q) in 1985. Dobinson secured the survival of the Queensland branch of the BLF when the national and southern branches were deregistered in 1986, with the Queensland branch being registered at the state level with the support of the Master Builders Association and even the consent of Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen. Dobinson campaigned for and helped implement changes in regards to safety in the construction industry, with the 38-hour working week successfully established across the industry in 1988. Two years later he retired as Secretary.
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