Jane Diane Lomax-Smith (born 19 June 1950) is an Australian histopathologist and politician serving as Lord Mayor of Adelaide since 14 November 2022. Lomax-Smith previously held the position of Lord Mayor between 1997 and 2000. She was the member of parliament (MP) for the electorate of Adelaide from 2002 to 2010, who represented the South Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP).
Lomax-Smith was born in Walthamstow, East London. She obtained her education in medicine from London Hospital Medical College where she graduated with degrees in anatomy and medicine. She gained experience in pathology at hospitals in London. After moving to Australia in 1977 to teach pathology at the University of Adelaide, she obtained her Doctor of Philosophy degree in pathology concentrating on IgA nephropathy and liver diseases. Prior to her career in politics, she did research work at Harvard University and has served as a pathologist in different hospitals including St James' Hospital, London Hospital, Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science and the Royal Adelaide Hospital until her exit from academics in 1991.
Lomax-Smith got into politics in 1991 after working in the pathology field. She served in the Adelaide City Council for Grey Ward and later as Lord Mayor of Adelaide between 1997 and 2000, making her the second woman ever to occupy this office. As a councillor, she championed issues such as heritage protection, the conservation of the Adelaide Park Lands, affordable housing, reconciliation and the attraction of foreign students via Study Adelaide. Following the 2002 election, Lomax-Smith was elected as ALP's representative for Adelaide in the South Australian House of Assembly and became a minister in the Rann government with several portfolios such as Tourism, Education, Small Business, Employment, Science and Information Economy, Mental Health and Substance Abuse, and Minister for the City of Adelaide. Lomax-Smith was reelected in 2006 although with an improved majority only to lose her seat in the 2010 South Australian state election against the Liberal Party's candidate Rachel Sanderson.
After leaving parliament, Lomax-Smith has had several positions in government and advisory roles such as chairwoman for the Higher Education Base Funding Review, acting director of the Royal Institution of Australia, chairwoman of the board of directors of the South Australian Museum, and also chaired other organisations such as the Don Dunstan Foundation and the Australian Federation of Friends of Museums. She rejoined the ranks of local government in 2022 by being elected as the Lord Mayor of Adelaide for a second term after defeating former senator Rex Patrick as well as current Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor. In 2025, she announced that she would seek re-election as Lord Mayor at the next council election.
Early life and education Jane Diane Lomax-Smith was born on 19 June 1950 in Walthamstow, East London, United Kingdom, to Olive Martha Lomax and Francis George, into a working-class family. Her father worked as a carpenter and her mother as a hairdresser. During her childhood, she assisted in her mother's hairdressing business. She later stated that she developed an early interest in pathology during her medical training, noting its academic demands compared with other medical specialties of the period. While living in London, she also participated in voluntary activities, including assisting with community services for older residents and teaching swimming at a local orphanage while still a student.
Lomax-Smith attended Woodford County High School for Girls from 1961 to 1968. She was the first member of her family to continue formal education beyond the age of 13. She subsequently received a grant to study medicine at London Hospital Medical College in Whitechapel. During her studies, she undertook teaching duties in embryology and histology. She completed a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Human Anatomy in 1971, followed by a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery and an additional Bachelor of Science (Honours) in 1974. She later worked as a registrar and houseman at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School in Hammersmith and the London Hospital.
After demonstrating clinical competence while working at a hospital, she was offered surgical training by a vascular surgeon and worked weekly in a surgical outpatient clinic during her first year in pathology training. She later stated that while she enjoyed clinical work, she did not consider surgery suitable as a long-term career due to lifestyle and working condition considerations. While undertaking pathology training in London, she accepted an academic position at the University of Adelaide offered by a former colleague and subsequently relocated to Australia.
In 1977, Lomax-Smith moved to Australia and was appointed as a lecturer in the Department of Pathology at the University of Adelaide Medical School. She relocated from London to Adelaide at the age of 27 after accepting the position, initially expressing reluctance due to limited familiarity with the city. She was influenced by accounts of Adelaide's cultural environment, urban planning, environmental policies, and food and wine industry during Don Dunstan's premiership, and later consulted her mother before accepting the appointment. The role included a condition requiring repayment of travel costs if she did not remain for at least one year. She continued work in clinical pathology alongside teaching and research at the University of Adelaide, with aspects of her doctoral studies and subsequent research conducted in the United States supported by the institution.
Lomax-Smith undertook doctoral research in pathology at the University of Adelaide, focusing on IgA nephropathy and liver disease, and published academic work in the field. In 1985, she was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy for this research. From 1984 to 1986, Lomax-Smith worked as a research fellow at Harvard University in Boston. In 1986, she returned to the United Kingdom to oversee the Surgical Pathology Department at St James' Hospital in Balham, London. She returned to Adelaide in 1987, where she worked as a senior lecturer in the University of Adelaide's Department of Pathology while also practising surgical pathology at the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science and balancing professional responsibilities with family life. Upon her return, she also served as a senior consultant at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. In 1991, she left the University of Adelaide to begin a career in politics and work in private practice. During the early 1990s, she worked in private practice as a clinical pathologist and medical researcher, and from 1998 to 2002 managed the Adelaide Pathology Partners clinic.
Political career
Early career (1991–2002) After approximately three decades in medical practice as a pathologist, Lomax-Smith entered local government in May 1991, winning a seat on the Adelaide City Council representing Grey Ward as part of a team of ten heritage candidates. The election gave the pro-heritage faction a majority on the 19-member council. Lomax-Smith became part of the faction's inner group, supporting heritage conservation and the preservation of the Adelaide Park Lands, while also taking an interest in planning, infrastructure, cycling, and issues affecting people with disabilities and young people. She later said that her scientific training influenced her approach to public administration, particularly her use of empirical evidence, statistics and data in financial and policy decisions.
Lomax-Smith served three terms on the council before resigning in September 1996, citing concerns about its governance. In her resignation, she criticised what she regarded as self-interest and personal ambition among councillors and argued that the council had become dysfunctional, with decisions influenced by emotion and personalities rather than the merits of individual issues. During this period, debates over the scope of heritage protection remained a significant issue, with questions arising over the extent to which heritage listing and the council's townscape strategy should restrict development.
In 1997, Lomax-Smith was elected Lord Mayor of Adelaide, becoming the second woman to hold the office, and served two terms until 2000. During her mayoralty, the council listed more than 1,300 structures as historic, while she supported initiatives concerning affordable housing, reconciliation and formal acknowledgements of past treatment of Indigenous Australians. She also worked with the South Australian government and universities through Study Adelaide to promote international student recruitment. Alongside her political career, she was Director of Adelaide Pathology Partners from 1998 to 2002 and sold the business after her election to parliament.
Member of Parliament (2002–2010) Leading up to the 2002 South Australian state election, Lomax-Smith became active within South Australian political and cultural networks, including associations with the leadership of the South Australian Labor Party during Mike Rann's tenure as party leader, and participation in public events such as the Adelaide Festival of Ideas. She also received support from sections of Adelaide's professional and cultural communities. She was selected by Rann as the party's candidate for the seat of Adelaide at the election. On 9 February, she was elected as the Member for Adelaide in the South Australian House of Assembly for the Labor Party, defeating Liberal candidate Michael Harbison, and securing a 3.2 per cent swing. She was the first woman to serve as both Member for Adelaide and Lord Mayor of Adelaide.
After entering the South Australian Parliament, Lomax-Smith was appointed to cabinet by Rann. On 6 March 2002, she was appointed to the Executive Council and became Minister for Tourism, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education, and Minister for Science and Information Economy in the Rann government. On 27 February 2003, she was appointed by the Governor in Executive Council as Acting Minister for Trade and Regional Development, Acting Minister for Local Government, and Acting Minister Assisting the Minister for Federal/State Relations for the period 4–7 March. Later that year, she oversaw the Bioscience Precinct project. On 5 March 2004, she ceased serving as Minister for Small Business and relinquished the Science and Information Economy and Employment, Training and Further Education portfolios, and was appointed Minister for Education and Children's Services. In June, she publicly criticised a Commonwealth policy that required schools to meet specified conditions, including flying the Australian flag, in order to access funding.
In 2006, she returned to Parliament following a swing of more than 9% and had less difficulty obtaining reelection. In 2006, she won a 60% two-party-preferred vote to keep her seat. She continued to serve in the Rann government as a minister, holding previous portfolios of Executive Council and Minister for Tourism, and Education and Children's Services. On 23 March 2006, she would take up an additional portfolio of Minister for the City of Adelaide. Later that year, she stated that the Adelaide Park Lands had become central to a "land grab" debate in relation to the government's proposed Victoria Park redevelopment for motor racing facilities, including a permanent grandstand and pit infrastructure. It was later reported that she had privately opposed the construction of a permanent grandstand, describing herself as a "conviction politician" focused on acting in accordance with her views.