Jane Pedersen

Jane Pedersen is passionate about advancing an intersectional and inclusive gender equality movement in Australia that guarantees First Nations women are at the centre of decision-making and that systems are designed to respond to their knowledges, work, and responsibilities. Jane feels incredibly fortunate to have worked with First Nations women across Australia and particularly in the Kimberley, where she has worked in community-controlled governance and women's holistic organisations. Jane is currently a senior policy advisor on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Team at the Australian Human Rights Commission. Over recent years she has been involved in the landmark Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women's Voices) Report and project led by June Oscar AO. The project has elevated the voices of over 2000 First Nations women and girls to the Federal Parliament. It is the first time since 1986 that First Nations women and girls have been consulted as a collective on their rights, challenges and aspirations. This work is an incredible milestone. Jane and the team continue to advocate for the full implementation of Wiyi Yani U Thangani to advance First Nations gender justice and equality in Australia. Previous to this role, Jane has had various positions over the last decade in Aboriginal community-controlled organizations in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, working in policy, research, advocacy and program design, where she has focused on community self-determination and developing healing and trauma-informed programs. In 2016, Jane was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to further this work through research in Canada and the USA. She continues to draw on this research in her current work in the need for care-led and healing-informed systems reform to respond to the rights and needs of First Nations women and girls. She holds a Bachelor in Geographical sciences, with a focus on human geography.