25 Facts About Rose Jackson

Rose Butler Jackson is an Australian Labor Party politician serving as a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since 8 May 2019.

Rose Jackson is the former Assistant General Secretary of NSW Labor.

Rose Jackson has called for strong industrial relations reform, like criminalising wage theft, and criminal justice reform in NSW.

Rose Jackson is the daughter of the late Australian Broadcasting Corporation journalist Liz Rose Jackson and film maker Martin Butler.

Rose Jackson grew up in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, attended Newtown High School of the Performing Arts and graduated with a Bachelor of Economic and Social Sciences and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney.

Rose Jackson was originally a member of the Sydney University Socialist Left faction, which was an affiliate of the National Organisation of Labor Students.

In 2006, Rose Jackson successfully advocated to re-unify both major Labor Left student factions, NOLS and the Victorian-based Australian Labor Students, and subsequently became the first National Labor Students President of the National Union of Students.

On 21 November 2007, it was alleged Rose Jackson had "espoused anti-Zionism" during her tenure in the NUS.

The Australian reported on its front page a leaked email which Rose Jackson had addressed to "Dear Activists", stating "I oppose Zionism because it calls for the creation of a Jewish state, and I think all governments should be secular".

The Australian Jewish News said Rose Jackson's comments "attacked the heart and soul of every Jewish voter".

In September 2008, Rose Jackson was elected as a Councillor to Waverley local council.

Rose Jackson served as the National Political Coordinator of left-wing trade union United Voice until 2013, when she moved to a role as a campaign organiser at NSW Labor Office.

Rose Jackson was the Secretary of the Labor Left faction from 2010 until 2016 and has been an Assistant General Secretary of NSW Labor and State Convenor of the New South Wales Labor Left faction since 2016.

Rose Jackson was selected to fill the casual vacancy in the NSW state upper house, the NSW Legislative Council following Lynda Voltz's election to the NSW Legislative Assembly for the seat of Auburn and was appointed on 8 May 2019.

In 2020, Rose Jackson called for an end to the private prison system in NSW and criticised past Governments for privatising prisons.

In 2020, Rose Jackson publicly announced her support for the legalisation of cannabis in NSW.

Rose Jackson was the first NSW Labor MPs to support the legalisation of cannabis after the ACT legalised cannabis.

On 11 June 2021, Rose Jackson was appointed as the Shadow Minister for Water, Housing and Homelessness.

Rose Jackson supported a Coalition amendment to the Greens' proposal which removed the proposal to ban evictions in coastal areas on the basis that restricting the rights of landlords would "throw that market into chaos weeks before the holiday season".

Rose Jackson supported the controversial Roads and Crimes Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 which made it an offence for protestors to cause "damage or disruption to major roads or major public facilities".

Rose Jackson supported the legislation despite widespread opposition from civil liberties organisations including Amnesty International, The Australian Youth Climate Coalition, The Human Rights Law Centre, Environmental Defender's Office NSW, and the NSW Council for Civil Liberties.

On 12 November 2024, Rose Jackson sparked controversy during an interview on ABC Radio Sydney regarding rental and housing affordability.

In January 2025, in her role as Minister for Mental Health, Rose Jackson presided over an industrial dispute with psychiatrists employed by NSW Health.

In February 2025, Rose Jackson was named as one of the participants in an Australia Day winery tour organised by NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen, using a taxpayer-funded ministerial car and driver for a 446-kilometre trip.

NSW Premier Chris Minns described the trip as a "massive error of judgement" by Haylen and Rose Jackson and announced that he would initiate a review of the rules relating to the use of ministerial drivers for personal trips.