Janine’s cultural heritage is drawn from her North Queensland connections to both the Gugu Badhun in the Upper Burdekin region and the Ngadjonji on the Atherton Tablelands. Janine’s research interests are grounded in her community development, nation-building work with the Gugu Badhun Aboriginal Nation and through her representation of Gugu Badhun issues at the United Nations policy fora relating to Indigenous issues. Janine's doctoral research topic is "Gugu Badhun Sovereignty, Self-Determination, and Nationhood."