Jane Hume

Edwina Jane Hume (née Exell; born 30 April 1971) is an Australian politician who has served as the deputy leader of the Opposition and deputy leader of the Liberal Party since 2026. She has a been a senator for Victoria since 2016, and previously held ministerial positions in the Morrison government. Prior to entering politics, she held senior positions in the banking, finance and superannuation sectors.

Hume was born in Melbourne on 30 April 1971. She is one of two daughters born to Steve and Louise Exell; her father was a senior executive with Quaker Oats and later worked as a management consultant and business broker. She grew up in the suburb of Armadale and attended Lauriston Girls' School. She graduated from the University of Melbourne with the degree of Bachelor of Commerce.

Hume began working at the National Australia Bank (NAB) in 1995 as a sales and marketing research manager. She completed a graduate diploma in finance and investment with the Securities Institute of Australia in 1996, and subsequently worked with NAB as an investment manager (1996–1998) and private banker (1998–1999). She then moved to Rothschild Australia as a senior business development manager in the asset management division, and briefly as a key accounts manager. She left the workforce in 2002 to start a family, and from 2005 to 2006 served on the management committee of Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia (PANDA).

Hume was a vice-president of Deutsche Bank Australia from 2008 to 2009 and later served on the boards of the Royal Children's Hospital (2011–2016) and Fed Square Pty Ltd (2015–2016). Immediately before her election to parliament she was a senior strategic policy adviser with AustralianSuper.

Hume joined the Liberal Party in 2003. Before her election to the Senate, Hume held senior positions in the Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division), serving on the administrative committee, on the executive of the Women's Council, and as a delegate to state council. She was president of the party's Armadale branch.

In March 2016, Hume won Liberal preselection for the Coalition's Senate ticket at the next federal election. She was initially ranked in third position behind James Paterson and Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, after losing to Paterson in the ballot for the top position. However, following a double dissolution she was elected in fifth position on the Coalition ticket at the 2016 federal election. Her candidacy was supported by the party's state president Michael Kroger.

Prior to the 2019 election, Hume stated she was "seriously considering" switching to the lower-house seat of Higgins in place of the retiring Kelly O'Dwyer. She subsequently declined to contest the preselection ballot, citing a need for "fresh talent". Prime Minister Scott Morrison subsequently intervened to ensure incumbent senators Hume and Paterson were re-endorsed, following opposition from the party's conservative wing.

In May 2019, Hume was appointed Assistant Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and Financial Technology in the Morrison government. In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald after her appointment, she described Australia's superannuation system as "inefficient" due to "high fees, duplicate accounts, underperforming funds and unnecessary insurance". She promised "a much broader vision for super" and said the government would make superannuation insurance voluntary for people under the age of 25 to reduce fees.