Senator Janet Rice |
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Senator for Victoria | |
Assumed office 1 July 2014 |
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Personal details | |
Born |
Janet Elizabeth Rice 18 November 1960 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
Nationality | Australian |
Political party | Australian Greens (1992–present) |
Residence | Footscray |
Alma mater | University of Melbourne |
Occupation | Politician, Environmentalist |
Website | janet-rice.greensmps.org.au |
Janet Elizabeth Rice (born 18 November 1960) is an Australian politician, member of the Australian Greens, former councillor and mayor of Maribyrnong, environmentalist, facilitator and one of the founding members of the Victorian Greens.
Rice was born in the suburb of Altona in Melbourne. 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.
Rice completed a Bachelor of Science, graduating with Honours in Meteorology.
Rice began her career in September 1983 as a Nature Conservation Project Officer for the Conservation Council of Victoria now known as Environment Victoria. She was involved in policy and advocacy work on nature conservation issues there for 2 years. In 1985, Rice moved on to the East Gippsland Coalition as a forest campaigner and 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.
In 1985-1986, Rice worked as a Water Policy Officer at the Department of Water Resources, where she authored reports on Gippsland Water Resource and South East Region water management strategy and Environmental Aspects of Water Management Strategy for South West Victoria.
Rice worked for Bicycle Victoria from 1993-1997, as the inaugural Ride to Work Co-ordinator. She developed the Ride to Work Day program, which started with 615 cyclists and has grown to an estimated 60,000 participants all over Australia.