Rodney Alexander Atkinson (born 7 August 1948) was an Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n 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...

 politician who represented the Division of Isaacs

Division of Isaacs

The Division of Isaacs is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, on the eastern shores of Port Phillip Bay...

 in the 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....

 from 1990 to 1996.

Atkinson served in the Australian Army

Australian Army

The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...

 from 1968 to 1975, serving with the 8th Battalion Royal Australian Infantry

8th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment

The 8th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment was an Australian Army Regular infantry battalion. The battalion was formed in July 1966 as part of an expansion of the Australian Army in the mid 1960s due to the perceived threat of Communism in southeast Asia...

 in Singapore and Malaysia from 1968–69, and in Vietnam from 1969-1970. He was awarded the Vietnam Medal

Vietnam Medal

The Vietnam Medal was a joint Australian and New Zealand campaign medal awarded for service in the Vietnam War.The medal was jointly developed by Australia and New Zealand, although there were separate Royal authorisation warrants for each country....

, Vietnam Campaign Medal

Vietnam Campaign Medal

The Vietnam Campaign Medal is a military recognition awarded by the Republic of Vietnam, , to any member of the United States, Australian, New Zealand and allied military forces serving six months or more in support of Republic of Vietnam military operations.Established in 1966, the decoration is...

 and Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm

Vietnam Gallantry Cross

The Vietnam Gallantry Cross was a military decoration of South Vietnam which wasestablished in August 1950. Also known as the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, the Gallantry Cross was awarded to any military personnel who have accomplished deeds of valor or displayed heroic conduct while fighting an...

.

From 1980 to 1988 Atkinson was a Councillor on the City of Mordialloc

Mordialloc, Victoria

Mordialloc is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 24 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Kingston...

 Council, including a stint as Mayor from 1985-86.

Atkinson was elected to represent the Division of Isaacs

Division of Isaacs

The Division of Isaacs is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, on the eastern shores of Port Phillip Bay...

 in Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

 in the 1990 federal election and re-elected in 1993. While in parliament he acted as Opposition Whip

Whip (politics)

A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...

 from 7 April 1993 to 26 May 1994. He lost the seat to Labor

Australian Labor Party

The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...

 candidate Greg Wilton in the 1996 federal election, largely due to a redistribution that turned his already marginal seat into a notional Labor seat.