Janet Rice

Janet Rice has been a passionate environmentalist and activist for more than thirty years. 

Janet is committed to being a strong voice for a caring society, a fair economy and a clean environment.

More about Janet

Janet Rice has been a passionate campaigner for justice, people and the planet for more than thirty years. She took her seat as a Greens Senator for Victoria in 2014. 

Janet grew up in Melbourne’s western suburbs and lives in Footscray where she shared a home with her wife Penny until Penny’s passing in 2019. They have two adult children.

A climate scientist by training, Janet began her working life campaigning to protect our forests. She was part of the 1983 Franklin River Blockade, and a leader of the campaign that resulted in the creation of the Errinundra National Park in East Gippsland. Within a decade, she was a founding member of the Greens in Victoria.

As councillor and mayor of the City of Maribyrnong in Melbourne's west, Janet worked to involve people in Council decision-making and positioned the city as a leader in reducing carbon pollution and taking action against global warming. She even swapped the mayoral car for a bike as part of her commitment to reduce pollution.

Janet is committed to being a strong voice for a caring society, a fair economy and a clean environment. She is a fierce advocate for people on income support and has persistently questioned successive Governments about their inaction on poverty, is passionate about advocating for a human rights approach to aged care and ensuring older people are treated with dignity and respect in all aspects of their life. Janet‘s work in the forests portfolio continues her lifelong passion to protect Australia’s native forests and the animals that rely on them from the destruction of logging.  

Janet is the only openly Bi+ member of Parliament, one of her proudest moments as a Senator was her work on marriage equality which was made a reality in 2017. 

In Parliament, Janet is Chair of the Senate Community Affairs References Committee, co-convenor of and is co-chair of the Amnesty International Parliamentary Group and the Parliamentary Friends of Palestine. 

 

At-a-glance

Senator for Victoria

Janet's Portfolios

Aged Care
Government Services
Social Services
Forests

Contact

Shop 2-3, 26 Lygon St, Brunswick East VIC 3057
Phone (03) 9381 1446
senator.rice@aph.gov.au

Latest from Janet

Greens call for Poverty Reduction Package in May Budget

22 March, 2023 - Following a ACOSS/UNSW report released today highlighting the inadequacy of Australia’s social security system and the depth of poverty fo...

One year on from the Lismore floods, Senate poverty Inquiry hears from a community left behind

21 February, 2023 - The fifth hearing of the year-long Senate inquiry into the extent and nature of poverty in Australia was held today in Lismore. Almost a ...

One year on from the Lismore floods, Senate Poverty Inquiry hears from a community left behind

21 February, 2023 - The fifth hearing of the year-long Senate inquiry into the extent and nature of poverty in Australia was held today in Lismore. Almost a ...

Current Campaigns

It's time for Treaty

It's time to right the wrongs of this nation’s past and move forward together.

Legalise It

Let’s get real about cannabis. The war on drugs has failed. The reality is that Australians choose to use cannabis. Let's just legalise it.

Housing Crisis

Rents have increased seven times faster than wages over the last year, while millions remain locked out of the housing market.