Norma Parker Address Highlights Urgent Need for Addressing Wealth Inequality: AASW President Vittorio Cintio

In a bold speech for the annual Norma Parker Address, Vittorio Cintio, the former President of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), urged for a deeper and more robust national dialogue on wealth inequality in Australia. 

Emphasising the inadequacy of current discussions, Cintio directly aimed at sections of society that benefit from this inequity, sparking a call for collective action and change. 

Cintio’s powerful address highlights the urgent need for social workers to step up and prioritise the issue of wealth disparity in their practice. He emphasised that real change comes not only from raising awareness but also from actively engaging with the community. 

He also calls on social workers to use social media as a tool to establish genuine connections in the real world, in part to combat disinformation, which he sees as facilitating this inequality. 

The AASW former President also called for the advocacy of truly progressive tax policies and the implementation of a universal basic income, underlining that the attainment of human rights for all is contingent upon ensuring the inherent dignity
of every individual. 

Norma Parker Brown CBE (1906-2004) was one of the pioneers of Australian social work, and these addresses, in her honour, are made by AASW former presidents to address critical issues facing social workers. 

This Norma Parker Address not only serves as a call for immediate action but is also hopeful. It ignites a renewed sense of purpose and responsibility within the Australian social work community.