He worked for the Australian Gas Light Company after leaving school, while attending night classes in chemistry at Sydney Technical College.

[2] After previously serving in the Sydney University Regiment, Carrick joined the Australian Imperial Force in December 1940.

He was posted to the 18th Anti-Tank Battery, which in December 1941 was deployed to West Timor as part of the Sparrow Force.

[3][4] In January 1946, Carrick began working as a research officer for the New South Wales Division of the Liberal Party.

The Bulletin dubbed him the "grey eminence of Ash Street", referring to the location of the party's headquarters.

Along with the state president, Bill Spooner, Carrick toured New South Wales founding new branches and looking for prospective candidates.

He used his maiden speech to promote a series of proposed reforms to the relationship between the federal government and the states.

His second speech was given in support of Senator Lionel Murphy's private member's bill for the abolition of capital punishment, which he described as "legal murder".

[2] Carrick had been added to the shadow cabinet in 1974, under Billy Snedden, and retained his place under Malcolm Fraser.

This committee conducted a comprehensive inquiry from birth to HSC including the drafting of 1990 Education Reform Act.

In 1998, he became the chairman of the Advisory Committee, Gifted Education Research, Resource and Information Centre at the University of New South Wales.