Paige Carpenter-Smith (also Novak) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Olympia Valance. The actress was cast in February 2014 after a lengthy audition process, which included four call-backs. Series producer Jason Herbison said Valance was cast in the role as she was "the perfect fit" for the character. Valance had been a successful model prior to her casting and Paige marked her first acting role. Valance's half-sister Holly Valance previously appeared in the show as Felicity Scully. Valance was initially contracted for three years. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 2 June 2014. Valance filmed her final scenes in November 2017 and Paige's departure aired on 30 March 2018. Valance returned on 24 February 2020, as part of the serial's 35th anniversary celebrations. On 4 May 2022, Valance confirmed that she was returning for the show's final episodes and Paige returned on 20 July 2022 until the show's final episode on 28 July 2022.

Paige is portrayed as being "feisty", "tough", "unpredictable" and resourceful. Valance said Paige was not a mean character and often hid her softer side behind a "hard exterior". The character was introduced as the biological daughter of Brad Willis (Kip Gamblin) and Lauren Carpenter (Kate Kendall) and her early storylines focused on building relationships with her parents and half-siblings. Paige initially chose to keep her identity a secret as she was scared that she would not be accepted. Paige also developed a relationship with her housemate Mark Brennan (Scott McGregor) and was blackmailed into selling illegal car parts alongside Tyler Brennan (Travis Burns). The character has received mostly positive attention from critics, with one saying she had caused "quite a stir" since her debut and another who noted that she had a distinctive on-screen presence. Valance earned a nomination for Most Popular New Talent at the 2015 Logie Awards for her portrayal of Paige.

On 9 March 2014, Colin Vickery from news.com.au reported that Olympia Valance had joined the cast of Neighbours as Paige Novak. Valance had been a successful model prior to her casting in February and Paige marked her first acting role. She won the part after a lengthy audition process, which included four call-backs that got "harder and harder" each time. Of her casting, Valance commented "When I got the call to say the part was mine, I was so excited. In Australia, if you're on Neighbours, you're considered to have one of the best jobs in the world. It's iconic." One of the first people Valance called was her half-sister Holly Valance, who previously appeared in Neighbours as Felicity Scully. She later said that working with people who knew her sister made her feel "very comfortable" on-set.

Series producer Jason Herbison confirmed that Valance had won the role based on her own talents, saying she was "the perfect fit for Paige". Valance was initially contracted for three years. She made her screen debut as Paige on 2 June 2014. In December, Valance commented that she would leave Neighbours at the end of her contract, as she had a desire to move to London. However, in October 2016, Fiona Byrne of the Herald Sun reported that Valance had decided to extend her contract with the show for another six to eight months. Valance commented, "I love my job and I don't feel ready to leave just yet and they were happy to have me for a bit longer."

In her fictional backstory, Paige had "a miserable upbringing" with her adoptive parents, and always felt second best to brother Ethan (Matthew Little). After leaving her boarding school, Paige became self-sufficient and worked various jobs. Her adoptive parents would send her "guilt-induced cash gifts" which she spent quickly on holidays and parties. Ahead of her introduction, Valance said "Paige isn't a mean character – she's cool and sexy and a bit edgy — and I think everyone is going to love her." She also thought Paige's personality had many layers and hoped viewers would like her and find her interesting.

Valance later described Paige as being "feisty", "unpredictable", "funny" and "very compassionate". She called Paige resourceful and said her "hard exterior" often hid her softer side. The Neighbours official website branded Paige "tough" and "volatile", adding that she works hard and enjoyed partying and skateboarding in her spare time. Valance liked her character and said she could identify with her family situation, as she is one of eight half-siblings. She also felt lucky to be playing someone with "such a complex history".

Paige first became aware that her biological parents, Brad Willis (Kip Gamblin) and Lauren Carpenter (Kate Kendall), were looking for her when Brad met with Ethan in Adelaide. Valance told All About Soap's Carena Crawford that Paige felt relieved that she had finally found her parents, but there were so many unanswered questions surrounding them and her adoption. Paige became curious about her parents and followed them back to Erinsborough to find out more about them. She decided to keep her identity a secret, in order to find out what Brad and Lauren were really like. Paige checked into the local hotel with the fake surname Novak and made up a back story about being from Tasmania. Paige immediately ran into Josh Willis (Harley Bonner) and flirted with him, unaware that he was her half-brother. Valance explained that Paige was naturally flirty and thought Josh was "pretty hot" until she learned they were related. Paige's actions also put her half-sister, Amber (Jenna Rosenow), offside as she was dating Josh at the time.

Paige met her mother at her café and managed to get herself a job as a waitress. Lauren and Paige made a good impression on each other and Valance said there was a connection between them. Paige also engineered a meeting with Brad by joining the gym he managed, and Valance commented that Paige really liked her father. However, Brad's wife, Terese (Rebekah Elmaloglou), was quite suspicious of who Paige was, especially as Paige had no ID and had checked into the hotel with "disposable cash". Paige also struggled to get along with her other half-sister, Imogen (Ariel Kaplan), as she was also suspicious of her, but Paige bonded well with her younger half-brother Bailey (Calen Mackenzie). Valance thought that deep down Paige was scared that her parents would not accept her as their daughter. She later said, "She builds relationships with people on the street who think she's someone she's not. Afterwards, people will find it hard to accept her because of it. There are a lot of people involved."