Jane has spent her career working at the intersection of community, policy, and people — driven by a genuine belief that good systems are built with communities, not just for them.
Her path has taken her across Australia, from remote and outback communities to government agencies and national advisory roles. Her early work was rooted in regional economic development — helping communities build capacity, assert their strengths, and shape their own futures. Jane's lived experience with disability enriched that work in ways that were hard to articulate at the time but proved formative. It deepened her understanding of self-determination, empowerment, and what it genuinely means for people to have a say in their own lives.
Jane and her two sisters live with muscular dystrophy. That experience is not incidental to her work — it is central to how she thinks, what she notices, and why she shows up for others.
When Jane returned home to Tasmania, those threads came together. She emerged as a voice for people with disability — measured, informed, and grounded in both professional experience and personal understanding. Over time, that voice has become a trusted one in disability politics at the state and national level.
That trust is reflected in her current appointment. Jane serves on the NDIS Independent Advisory Council, appointed by the former Federal Minister for the NDIS, Bill Shorten. It is one of the most significant advisory roles in Australian disability policy, and Jane brings to it the same commitment she has carried throughout her career.
Jane holds a Graduate Certificate in Regional Development (UWA, 2006), a Graduate Certificate in Disability Studies (Griffith University, 2012), and a Primary Health Research, Evaluation and Development Fellowship with the University of Tasmania. She is currently completing a PhD in Education at UTAS, exploring capacity building, self-determination, and disability.
Jane is an award-winning advocate whose work reflects a quiet and consistent commitment to a more just and inclusive world.
Professional résumé available upon request.