Jane Aagaard

Jane Aagaard
Born	1956 Melbourne, Australia
Occupation	Politician
Years active	2001–2012
Known for	Member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly for Nightcliff; Speaker of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly; Minister for Health (Northern Territory)

Jane Lesley Aagaard (born 1956) is a former Australian politician. She represented the Darwin electorate of Nightcliff as a member of the Labor Party in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2001 until 2012. From June 2005 to October 2012, she held the position of Speaker of the Assembly, becoming the first Labor representative to do so. Prior to her speakership, she served as Minister for Health between 2001 and 2003.

Early life

Born in Melbourne in 1956 to parents John Stuart McIntosh and Jean Brown, Aagaard relocated to Brisbane at the age of seven, where she attended Somerville House. In 1986, she began working for the Northern Territory Department of Mines and Energy and subsequently settled in Darwin with her spouse.

Aagaard significantly contributed to the Darwin community by establishing both the Brolga Awards and the Northern Territory Sports Awards, overseeing their organization for multiple years. Additionally, she managed Darwin's World War II bombing commemoration shortly before entering political office.

Following the retirement of longtime Country Liberal Party member Stephen Hatton in 2001, Aagaard contested Nightcliff as the Labor candidate against his son Jason. She secured the seat with an 11.7% swing, transforming it into a stronghold for Labor. This win was instrumental in Labor's landmark government victory, fueled by substantial support from Darwin. She successfully defended her seat in 2005, achieving an additional 8.5% swing.

In March 2012, citing health concerns requiring medical intervention, Aagaard announced her decision to retire. Later that year, in November 2012, she was honored with the lifelong title The Honourable.