Janet Rice
Janet Rice (born 18 November 1960) is an Australian former politician. She served as a senator for Victoria from 2014 until 2024. She was a co-founder of the Victorian Greens and also served on the Maribyrnong City Council from 2003 to 2008, including a term as mayor.
Early life
Rice was born on 18 November 1960 in the Melbourne suburb of Altona. She attended the University of Melbourne, where she studied mathematics and meteorology. It was at Melbourne University where she met her partner, Penny Whetton, another student in the meteorology department. Rice began her environmental activism whilst at university, including participating in the Franklin Dam Campaign in 1983.
Career before politics
Rice began her career in September 1983 as a Nature Conservation Project Officer for the Conservation Council of Victoria now known as Environment Victoria where she was involved in policy and advocacy work on nature conservation issues for 2 years. In 1985, Rice moved to the East Gippsland Coalition as a forest campaigner. She was a leader of the campaign that resulted in the declaration of the Errinundra National Park and protection of the old growth forests of the Rodger River catchment in the Snow River National Park in 1988. Rice continued her work with the East Gippsland Coalition until 1990.
Rice was a key element in establishing Australian Greens Victoria. She organised preliminary meetings, and helped form the green politics network just as the October 1992 Victorian state election approached. The Victorian Greens was officially launched on 7 November 1992.
No AUKUS Coalition
The Hiroshima Day rally on August 6 2023, organised by the No AUKUS Coalition Victoria, started at the State Library Victoria and marched through the CBD.
Speakers included Margie Beavis, from Medical Association for the Prevention of War (MAPW), David Ball, deputy branch secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia, Xavier Dupe from the National Union of Students and Victorian Socialists, Greens Senator Janet Rice and Jack Howard from Labor Against War.[1]
Melbourne InspirActivism
The Melbourne InspirActivism program was held at the AMWU building in Carlton on March 13 and March 20 2010. Presentations on the first day were made by Boris Frankel on political ideas, and Janet Rice on native forest campaigns in Victoria.
On day two, Pat Healy presented on what it was like to be involved in indigenous activism in the 1960s with her story from the 1965 NSW Freedom Ride. Darcel Russell gave a very personal insight into indigenous struggle, remembering as a child what a strong and determined character her Aunty Oodgeroo Noonuccal was.
David Thomason spoke about being the youngest organiser in the NSW Builders Labourers Federation in 1972 through to his desire to connect with Shetland Islanders. Dave Kerin shared what a heightened political environment it was during his time with the BLF in Victoria. Daria Aarons-Healy facilitated the skills training sessions on campaign design and strategies, on both days. [2]