About Janine
I am an explorer of places, people, and ideas. Driven by the notion of social justice I recognise the value of harnessing change.
My career has been built on a solid foundation as an academic, but when I recognised the need to walk my talk I segued to become a social entrepreneur and an advocate and advisor on women’s rights and equality
Not afraid
Mostly, I am a woman who is unafraid to stand up and act in the face of injustice.
At my core, I understands that social justice must exist on the back of equality. I have spent a lifetime developing programs that support equality, specifically equality for women.
I bring these skills to the fore by working with companies to help them create and deliver strategy that focuses on equality at its foundation.
In 2021 Janine harnessed the energy of the women of Australia and brought into
being the Women’s March4Justice a grassroots charity that strive to transform social
attitudes and deliver equality to all women.
Prahran
In Janine’s own words:
“I have lived in Prahran for over 35 years, from my first ever share house in South Yarra, as a University student at Monash, to buying my first home in Windsor (long before it was even considered a fashionable part of Prahran); to moving into Prahran, where I raised my children.
Each time I have moved away I seem to always have found my way back to Prahran. Both of my sons went to school in Prahran.
There’s something about Prahran that gets into your blood.”
Make a difference
In her own words: My career in academia came to a stop following the suicide of my oldest son Bryn, at age 16. It is a tragedy that I would wish on no one. Following Bryn’s death I had to make an important decision. Do I define myself on what I was, or do I use the pain that pounded through my body to make a difference.
I choose to make a difference.
I founded a registered charity that gave me a platform to build schools around the globe. I sought to build a school in every country that Bryn had travelled to, and specifically where the mothers did not have a school to send their children to. Today,
across Vietnam and Cambodia there are six “Bryn’s Schools” and over 1200 students a day, attend these schools.
With a deep understanding of the notion of social justice and recognising the value of harnessing change, I have continued to use my skills to advocate for social justice and human rights.
I am unafraid to stand up and act in the face of injustice. At my core, I understand that social justice must exist off the back of equality.
Independent
Janine:
“I am standing as your Independent in Prahran because daily I witness not only the growing degradation of the built environment in Prahran, but also the growing inequality. I know that our community however diverse, is suffering from cost-of-living pressures but I also know the impacts of not feeling safe within our community, and the deeper impacts of climate change on all of us.
For too long we have been stuck within a closed political system. We see the State Liberal Party floundering and divisive, with no costed policy, instead those who hold the power are parroting the policies of their party and not the policy around the needs of local communities, this is particularly important in Prahran given our diversity. Whilst this electorate has voted Greens for the past twelve years, my question to is, what did this party do for the electorate beyond reinforcing the federal policy?
I lost my mum as a six-year-old and was raised in a single parent household by my dad Hugh. This was mightily unusual in the 1960’s, but dad always said to me , “We’re only as strong as the community within which we live” and he has lived his entire life driven by that ethos, so it’s time now for me to use my skill set and energy to rebuild that community in Prahran, so that were all safe, secure and have the support that we all need to thrive.
As your community elected candidate, I am free to fight for you.”
