Janet Jukes

Janet has held key leadership roles in effective organisations for over 30 years. Janet’s experience in the human services sector includes work in child, youth and family services, relationship and counselling services, homelessness, family violence, community legal sectors, AIDS Councils and universities. Janet’s current role is CEO of Refuge Victoria, one of the state’s largest specialist providers of family violence refuge accommodation.

Janet is also a highly respected community activist with extensive networks in the lesbian, gay, and transgender communities. She is founding co-convenor and life member of the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby (now Pride Lobby) and a long-standing member of various ministerial advisory committees that have steered Victorian Government law reform recognising LGBTIQ parenting, equality in relationships recognition, human rights protections, and birth certificate recognition. Janet has significant governance experience in the not-for-profit sectors and is a current member of the Victorian Government’s LGBTIQA+ Taskforce and the LGBTIQA+ Justice Working Group and is President of the Thorne Harbour Health (Victorian AIDS Council) Board. 

A recurrent theme in Janet’s professional and voluntary work is a desire to see an improvement in the human dignity of those who are made vulnerable within our communities.

In the 2021 Australian Queens Birthday Honours list Janet was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (General Division) – for services to the community through LGBTIQ advocacy and social welfare organisations. She is also a Centenary Medal recipient for outstanding service to young people.