Jane Lomax-Smith

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 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. ==Local government ==

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. 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. == Member of Parliament ==

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. In 2006, Lomax-Smith broke with cabinet colleagues to oppose building a permanent grandstand in Victoria Park. Speaking of the decision to the ABC in 2026, she said: "I'm a conviction politician, I'm not interested in anything, but what I believe in". ==Post-Parliament 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. 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. == Return as Lord Mayor of Adelaide ==

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 "reasserting 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. 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 ==References==