The Honourable Peter Baume AC |
|
---|---|
Senator for New South Wales | |
In office 18 May 1974 – 28 January 1991 |
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Succeeded by | John Tierney |
Personal details | |
Born |
Sydney |
30 January 1935
Nationality | Australian |
Political party | Liberal Party of Australia |
Alma mater | University of Sydney |
Occupation | Physician |
Peter Erne Baume, AC (born 30 January 1935) is a physician and former Australian politician.
Baume was born in Sydney, New South Wales and educated at North Sydney Boys High School and Sydney Grammar School.
Baume graduated in 1959 with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Sydney and then studied gastroenterology in the United Kingdom and the United States.
He received an MD at the University of Sydney in 1969. He was in private practice as a gastroentologist and physician at Royal North Shore Hospital before entering the Parliament of Australia. He was also a clinical lecturer at the University of Sydney.
Baume was elected to the Senate for New South Wales, representing the Liberal Party at the 1974 election. As a backbencher he chaired the Senate Standing Committee on Social Welfare, which produced two reports: "Drug problems in Australia—an intoxicated society?" (1977) and "Through a glass darkly: evaluation in Australian health and welfare services" (1979). He was the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs from November 1980 to May 1982 and Minister for Health from 20 April 1982 to 7 May 1982 following Michael MacKellar's resignation as minister. He was then Minister for Education until the Fraser government's defeat in the March 1983 election. He was the parliamentary representative on the Council of the Australian National University from February 1986 until his resignation from parliament.