Our heartfelt congratulations go to Janet Jukes, on receiving an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in this year's Australian Queens Birthday Honours list.
This award recognises Janet's outstanding service for service to the community through LGBTIQ advocacy and social welfare organisations.
Janet has served as CEO of Relationship Matters since 2014 during which time she has expanded our services in family counselling and parenting supports, family violence prevention, intercountry adoption and mental health.
Beginning in QLD as a teacher of children with disabilities, Janet's professional working life spans over thirty years and includes policy, advocacy and leadership roles working to support people experiencing mental health, family violence, drug and alcohol and homelessness.
Janet is also a highly respected community activist with extensive networks in the lesbian, gay, and transgender communities. This activity includes being the founding Co Convenor and life member of the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby (now Pride Lobby), and long standing member of various ministerial advisory committees that have steered Victorian Government law reform recognising LGBTI parenting, equality in relationships recognition, human rights protections, and birth certificate recognition. Janet is a current member of the Victorian Governments LGBTIQ Taskforce and Co-Chair of the LGBTIQ Justice Working Group.
Janet has significant governance experience in the not for profit sectors, serving on many boards over several decades. Janet is currently the President of the Victorian AIDS Council (trading as Thorne Harbour Health) and has recently founded the Pride Community Legal Service, a new not for profit organisation that will address access to legal supports for LGBTIQ communities.
We are very proud of Janet and all she has achieved.
MEDAL (OAM) OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA IN THE GENERAL DIVISION
Ms Janet JUKES, Fitzroy VIC 3065
"For service to the community through LGBTIQ advocacy and social welfare organisations."
