On the ice from the age of four years, Carter trained in Canterbury, Norwest and Macquarie. In the 1994–1995 season, she won her first senior national title and was selected to compete at the 1995 World Junior Championships. She qualified for the free skate and finished 19th overall at the event, which was held in November 1994 in Budapest, Hungary. She would soon win her first international medals – at the 1995 Summer Trophy (bronze) and 1996 Golden Spin of Zagreb (silver).