Jackson was appointed by Western Australian Premier Alan Carpenter as Director of the "Community Cabinet and Liaison Unit", part of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, in May 2005. Her employment in this role drew criticism, since the job was not advertised and the role was already being filled by other public servants. It was also a controversial appointment because she kept her 120,000 salary as a Ministerial Chief of Staff and the unit's primary role was as a "propaganda machine" creating promotional material for Government members but not for other members.