Jane Lomax-Smith

Early life and education

Lomax-Smith was born in Walthamstow in the East End of London, in the United Kingdom. She attended the Woodford County High School For Girls from 1961 to 1968 and received a grant to attend the London Hospital Medical College, in Whitechapel, where she obtained her medical degree in 1974.

Lomax-Smith migrated to Australia in November 1977, becoming a lecturer in the University of Adelaide Medical School's Department of Pathology. She later moved to the United States in 1984 to take up a position as Research Fellow at Harvard University's Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. After two years, she returned to the UK, this time working at St James Hospital managing the surgical pathology department. She was made Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia in 1984 and received a Ph.D. from the University of Adelaide in 1985 on "IgA Nephropathy and Liver Disease".

In 1987, she returned to Australia to once again lecture at the University of Adelaide's Medical School, while also working as a Senior Specialist Consultant at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Lomax-Smith worked across the private sector in the early 1990s as clinical pathologist and medical researcher before opening her clinic, Adelaide Pathology Partners, in 1998; a practice she operated until 2002.

In 2017, she was awarded an honorary DSc by the University of Adelaide.

Political career

Lomax-Smith first entered public office in 1991 as a Grey Ward Councillor with the City of Adelaide. Speaking of her entry into local politics, she remarked she was fascinated by "nerdy things" like landfill and stormwater management. "Even though I'd ran small departments in England, it wasn't until I became involved in local government that I really understood budgeting, cash flow and asset management," she told The Advertiser. This particular election created a "heritage faction" on the City Council which favoured heritage conservation ahead of overdevelopment. Lomax-Smith joined other councillors Jane Rann, Rosemary Boucaut, Bob Angove, Ian Caller, Francene Connor, Jacqueline Gillen, Michael Gibb on the pro-heritage faction.

She served in this role until 1997, when she was elected Lord Mayor of Adelaide. Over three terms, she achieved heritage listing for more than 1300 buildings, supported Reconciliation and 'Sorry' agreements, secured additional investment in low-cost housing, and contributed to a coordinated marketing strategy for international student recruitment with the State Government and the three public universities through Study Adelaide. Lomax-Smith did not contest a fourth term as Lord Mayor in 2000.

At the 2002 state election, Lomax-Smith was elected a member of the South Australian House of Assembly for the seat of Adelaide, defeating the Liberal Party candidate Michael Harbison, who had been preselected after the retirement of Liberal Party incumbent Michael Armitage. She retained the seat at the 2006 election with a 60 percent two-party vote but was defeated at the 2010 election by Liberal candidate Rachel Sanderson, with a two-party preferred swing of 14.5 percent, the second-largest swing at that election.

Lomax-Smith served as South Australian State Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health & Substance Abuse, Minister for Tourism, and Minister for the City of Adelaide between 2002 and 2010 in Premier Rann's Labor Government.

Later career

In October 2010, the Federal Minister for Tertiary Education, Chris Evans, announced a Higher Education Base Funding Review, to be chaired by Lomax-Smith. The review was released in December 2011.

On 28 November 2010, the Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus) announced that Lomax-Smith was to act in the role of Director until a permanent appointment was made, but that she would not be an applicant for the permanent role.

On 18 August 2011, Premier Mike Rann announced that Lomax-Smith had been appointed as the new chair of the South Australian Museum board. She is on the Board of the Jam Factory, and TechInSA and in 2017 was made the Presiding Member of The South Australian Teachers Registration Board.

In the 2013 Australia Day Honours List, Lomax-Smith was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the Parliament and the community of South Australia.

In 2015, Lomax-Smith was commissioned by Premier Jay Weatherill to examine options for the post coal-mining future of Leigh Creek, a purpose-built mining town in the Northern Flinders Ranges, and wrote a report entitled Leigh Creek Futures. From 2016 to 2017, Lomax-Smith had a position on the advisory board of UCL Australia. On 3 June 2020, Lomax-Smith was announced as new chair of the Don Dunstan Foundation, taking over from Lynn Arnold.

Lomax-Smith defeated incumbent Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor and former senator Rex Patrick in the 2022 Adelaide City Council election to become Lord Mayor again after 22 years. Upon her election, she said her most pressing job was "will be reasserting its credibility in the reputation of the council".

Patrick challenged the election results in the Court of Disputed Returns over concerns about ballots returned from four apartment buildings. Lomax-Smith herself had written to the Electoral Commission before she was elected citing potential electoral fraud following an article in The Advertiser. Patrick withdrew his legal challenge two months later after new evidence found any such activity did not impact the outcome of the election for Lord Mayor.

Lomax-Smith was elected with a progressive majority on the council, after many of the former "Team Adelaide" members were unelected at the 2022 South Australian local elections. Prior to the election, Lomax-Smith had said her fourth term as Lord Mayor would focus on post-pandemic budget recovery, effective leadership, tackling high office vacancy rates, Park Lands protection, climate change mitigation and adaptive reuse of commercial tenancies into housing. Lomax-Smith has also advocated for the doubling of the city's population to 50,000 residents, saying there is a need to "to repopulate the city".

Personal life

Lomax-Smith is married to Australian lawyer, Tim Wooley and has two children, Oliver and Oscar and lives in the Adelaide city centre.

She is patron of the Adelaide Poultry Club and has learned how to shampoo and dry competition birds, as well as judge eggs, at the Royal Adelaide Show.

References

References

1. (5 July 2022). "Allowances for Members of Adelaide City Council". Determination of the Remuneration Tribunal.
2. Martin, Sarah. (2011-08-19). "Former Rann Cabinet minister Jane Lomax-Smith to chair South Australian Museum". The Advertiser.
3. [http://www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/about/management/museum-board Museum Board]
4. "About Jane". Jane Lomax-Smith Personal Website.
5. "Hon JANE LOMAX-SMITH MP". Government of South Australia.
6. Lomax-Smith, Jane. (December 7, 1984). "IgA nephropathy — accumulated experience and current concepts". Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia.
7. (14 August 2002). "Ministerial Code of Conduct". Hansard - House of Assembly - Parliament of South Australia.
8. [https://www.adelaide.edu.au/records/archives/former/Jane_LomaxSmith.pdf Jane Lomax-Smith citation] The University of Adelaide, 4 May 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
9. Starick, Paul. (April 21, 2023). "Paul Starick: What's gone wrong with Adelaide's dismal CBD?". The Advertiser.
10. Jones, Erin. (September 11, 2024). "Lord Mayor of Adelaide Jane Lomax-Smith shares with SA Weekend on her life-defining moment". The Advertiser.
11. James, Colin. (October 21, 2021). "Off the Record: Veteran urban warriors reunite, awkward moment for planning boss Anita Allen, Vincent Tarzia becomes a dad". The Advertiser.
12. Mosler, Sharon Ann. (December 2006). "Heritage Politics in Adelaide During the Bannon Decade". University of Adelaide.
13. "Dr Jane Lomax-Smith AM {{!}} Suffrage 125 City of Adelaide Honour Roll".
14. (2024-08-19). "Adelaide mayor says 'mad' rules relying on protests to protect heritage must be fixed".
15. (23 March 2010). "2010 South Australian Election: Adelaide". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
16. Green, Antony. "Final Boundaries Released for South Australian Redistribution". Australian Boradcating Corporation.
17. {{cite SA-parl
18. "Base Funding Review". National Tertiary Education Union.
19. "Dr Jane Lomax-Smith to be interim director for the RiAus". Royal Institution of Australia.
20. [https://www.jamfactory.com.au/pages/people Dr Jane Lomax-Smith AM Board Member] {{Webarchive. link. (1 December 2017 Jam Factory, Retrieved 27 November 2017.)
21. (26 January 2013). "The Honourable Dr Jane Diane Lomax-Smith".
22. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-13/jane-lomax-smith-to-collect-ideas-for-leigh-creeks-future/6850714?section=sa Jane Lomax-Smith to collect ideas for Leigh Creek's future after Alinta Energy mine closure] ''ABC News'', 13 October 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
23. [http://www.engineering.ucl.ac.uk/australia/home-ucl/people-ucl-australia/ UCL > People > Advisory Board] {{Webarchive. link. (2 October 2016 Retrieved 27 November 2017.)
24. (10 May 2020). "Dr Jane Lomax-Smith AM appointed as new Chair of the Don Dunstan Foundation".
25. Hough, Andrew. (15 November 2022). "Local government elections 2022: Lord Mayor-elect Jane Lomax-Smith says top job is restoring Adelaide City Council reputation". The Advertiser.
26. Jones, Erin. (19 November 2022). "Jane Lomax-Smith and six new councillors join Adelaide City Council, but will much change?". The Advertiser.
27. Hough, Andrew. (November 15, 2022). "The Advertiser".
28. (2022-11-16). "Losing Adelaide lord mayoral candidate to appeal against election result". ABC News.
29. (2023-03-29). "Vanquished Adelaide mayoral candidate drops legal challenge contesting result". ABC News.
30. Skujins, Angela. (2022-10-07). "The obstinate will of Jane Lomax-Smith".
31. (2025-08-01). "Adelaide's plan to double its CBD population without 'destroying the city'". ABC News.
32. (2023-03-06). "Embracing equity - SALIFE {{!}} InDaily, Inside South Australia".