Since becoming Defence Minister in January, Nelson has helped to secure significant increase in defence funding. He has worked toward the delivery of significant new air, sea and land capabilities and to reform recruitment and retention of personnel. Minister Nelson is Defence Minister at a time when Australians are deployed on eleven different operations, including Iraq, and Afghanistan. As Minister for Education, Science and Training from November 2001 to January 2006, he implemented a wide-range of key reforms. Previous to his Cabinet appointment, he served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence. In 1998, Dr. Nelson was appointed by the Prime Minister as Chairman of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Workplace Relations. He began his political career in 1996 when he was elected to represent Sydney’s Bradfield electorate for the Liberal Party of Australia.
Dr. Nelson is a general practitioner by training and a graduate of Flinders University in South Australia. At the age of 35, he was the youngest doctor to have ever been elected to the Federal Presidency of the Australian Medical Association, a position he held from 1993 to 1995. During that time he received the AMA’s highest honor, the Gold Medal for "distinguished service to medicine and humanity,” and was a John Lowenthal medal recipient from Sydney University. Dr. Nelson holds an honorary Fellowship at the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and was a Paul Harris Fellow.
