Peter Erne Baume, AC (born 30 January 1935) is a retired Australian doctor and politician. He was a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

from 1974 to 1991, representing the Liberal Party. He served as Minister for Aboriginal Affairs (1980–1982) and Minister for Education (1982–1983) in the Fraser Government.

Early life and education

Baume was born in Sydney, New South Wales and educated at

North Sydney Boys High School North Sydney Boys High School (abbreviated as NSBHS) is a government-funded, single-sex, academically selective secondary day school for boys, located at Crows Nest, on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. In 2022, Nor ...

and

Sydney Grammar School (Praise be to God) , established = , type = Independent, day school , gender = Boys , religious_affiliation = None , slogan = , headmaster = R. B. Malpass , founder = Laurence Hynes Halloran , chairman ...

. Baume graduated in 1959 with a

Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

from the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

and then studied

gastroenterology Gastroenterology (from the Greek gastḗr- “belly”, -énteron “intestine”, and -logía "study of") is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract ...

in the United Kingdom and the United States. He received an MB, BS 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 The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the governor- ...

. He was also a clinical lecturer at the

Political career

Baume was elected to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

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 The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies an ...

from February 1986 until his resignation from parliament. In 1987 when Baume was Shadow Minister for the Status of Women he contravened Liberal Party policy by voting for a bill giving equal employment opportunity in some government-owned bodies. He considered he was "... finished in the Liberal Party. It is true that one is allowed to cross the floor in the Liberal Party of Australia, but my philosophical liberal principles sat poorly with the increasingly dominant radical conservatism of others. It was time again for a change of career." He resigned from parliament in January 1991. Baume is a cousin of former Liberal Senator Michael Baume.

After politics

Baume was Professor of Community Medicine at the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensiv ...

(UNSW) from 1991 to 2000 and studied

euthanasia Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different eut ...

, drug policy and evaluation. Since 2000, he has been an honorary research associate with the Social Policy Research Centre at UNSW. He works as a facilitator of bi-weekly scenario groups for the first and second year of the university's medical program. He was

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of the

from 1994 to 2006. He has also been Commissioner of the

Australian Law Reform Commission The Australian Law Reform Commission (often abbreviated to ALRC) is an Australian independent statutory body established to conduct reviews into the law of Australia. The reviews, also called inquiries or references, are referred to the ALRC by ...

, Deputy Chair of the Australian National Council on AIDS and Foundation Chair of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority from 1991 to 1998. He was appointed a director of Sydney Water in 1998 following the discovery of

cryptosporidium ''Cryptosporidium'', sometimes informally called crypto, is a genus of apicomplexan parasitic alveolates that can cause a respiratory and gastrointestinal illness (cryptosporidiosis) that primarily involves watery diarrhea (intestinal crypt ...

in Sydney's water supply.

Awards

Baume was appointed an Officer of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...

in January 1992 in recognition of service to the Australian Parliament. In June 2008 he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia. He received an honorary doctorate from the Australian National University in December 2004. in August 2016 Baume was recognised in the Disability Employment Australia Hall of Fame for "his role in the 1994 Review of the Commonwealth Disability Services Program" (later dubbed the Baume Review). The ANU 'Peter Baume Award', recognises "eminent achievement and merit of the highest order". It was first conferred in 2004. Baume is a Distinguished Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

Personal life

Baume married Jennifer Tuson in 1958 and they have one son Ian and one daughter Sarah. Sarah has three children Rachel, Annabelle, Rosie.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baume, Peter Erne Members of the Cabinet of Australia Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate for New South Wales Members of the Australian Senate People educated at Sydney Grammar School 1935 births Living people Companions of the Order of Australia People educated at North Sydney Boys High School Chancellors of the Australian National University 20th-century Australian politicians University of New South Wales faculty Australian Ministers for Health