She was a co-founder of the Victorian Greens and also served on the Maribyrnong City Council from 2003 to 2008, including a term as mayor.

[4] Rice began her environmental activism whilst at university, including participating in the Franklin Dam Campaign in 1983.

She developed the Ride to Work Day program, which started with 615 cyclists and has grown to an estimated 60,000 participants all over Australia.

[7] From Bicycle Victoria, Rice pursued her career as a Senior Consultant at Context Pty Ltd. Rice worked with clients including the Barwon Water, Melbourne Water, Parks Victoria and a range of local governments.

She organised preliminary meetings, and helped form the green politics network just as the October 1992 Victorian state election approached.

[citation needed] Rice started her political career when in 2003 she was elected as a councillor for the City of Maribyrnong, where she represented the Saltwater Ward.

[10] Rice's publications and presentations on transport include a chapter in the book "Transit Oriented Development: Making it Happen' (Curtis, Renne and Bertolini, 2009).

[12] Rice was also a part of the Save Footscray Pool campaign, trying to preserve the aging facility and keep the site from developers.

[23] On 29 February 2024, the Senate voted to censure Rice after she raised a placard with the words “stop the human rights abuses” while Philippine President Bongbong Marcos was addressing parliament.