James Joseph Carlton AO

Order of Australia

The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...

 (born 13 May 1935) is a former Australian politician.

Carlton was born in Sydney and earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Sydney

University of Sydney

The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...

. His political career beginning at the Sydney University Liberal Club

Sydney University Liberal Club

The Sydney University Liberal Club is student association, operating under the auspices of the University of Sydney Union . The club hosts a range of policy debates, social events, campaign workshops, student election campaigns, and guest speaker events with Member of Parliament . It is an...

, of which he later became president, he succeeded Sir John Carrick

John Carrick (Australian politician)

Sir John Leslie Carrick, AC, KCMG is a former Australian politician.-Early life:Carrick studied economics at the University of Sydney . Before he was able to commence his career to any great degree he fought with the Sparrow Force of the Australian Army during World War II. He was landed on...

 as General Secretary of the NSW Liberal Party

Liberal Party of Australia

The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...

 during the McMahon

William McMahon

Sir William "Billy" McMahon, GCMG, CH , was an Australian Liberal politician and the 20th Prime Minister of Australia...

 – Snedden

Billy Snedden

Sir Billy Mackie Snedden, KCMG, QC was an Australian politician representing the Liberal Party. He was Leader of the Opposition at the 1974 federal election, failing to defeat the Labor incumbent Gough Whitlam.-Early life:...

 – Fraser

Malcolm Fraser

John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role...

 periods.

He was elected to the Australian House of Representatives

Australian House of Representatives

The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....

 at the 1977 election

Australian federal election, 1977

Federal elections were held in Australia on 10 December 1977. All 124 seats in the House of Representatives, and 34 of the 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election....

 for the seat of Mackellar

Division of Mackellar

The Division of Mackellar is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located in the Northern Beaches region of Sydney, on the Pacific coast, south of Broken Bay and the Hawkesbury River. It includes the suburbs of Narrabeen, Beacon Hill, Newport, Palm Beach and...

 and was Minister for Health

Minister for Health and Ageing (Australia)

The Minister for Health and Ageing is a portfolio in the Government of Australia with the responsibility for national health policy. The current Minister for Health and Ageing is Nicola Roxon...

 from May 1982 to the defeat of the Fraser Government in March 1983

Australian federal election, 1983

Federal elections were held in Australia on 5 March 1983. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election, following a double dissolution...

. He served on the Defence Sub-Committee of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, and held a number of Shadow Ministry positions in Opposition, including Shadow Minister for Defence from 1989 to 1990. He resigned from Parliament in January 1994.

From 1994 to 2001 Carlton was Secretary General of the Australian Red Cross

Australian Red Cross

The Australian Red Cross is one of the many national Red Cross societies around the world. The Australian organisation was established in 1914, nine days after the commencement of World War I, by Karen Tenenbaum, when she formed a branch of the British Red Cross.the organisation grew at a rapid rate...

. As a founder of the Crossroads Group together with John Hyde and Peter Shack he was influential in establishing the free-market or 'dry' cause in the Parliamentary wing of the Australian Liberal Party. He now serves on the Boards of PNG Sustainable Development Program Limited and the Australia New Zealand School of Government. Additionally he is a Professional Fellow at the Centre for Public Policy at the University of Melbourne

University of Melbourne

The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...

, and a Senior Adviser with the Boston Consulting Group, and is a council member of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute

Australian Strategic Policy Institute

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute is an Australian Government-funded think tank that was established in 2001. ASPI's role is to develop ideas on Australia's defence and strategic policy options and help inform the public on defence and strategic policy issues...

. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2001 for "service to the community through Australian Red Cross and to the parliament."