The Australian Women's Register

Ann Symonds trained as a teacher at Armidale and taught at Casino before being transferred to Sydney in 1960. She studied Drama (1972-74) and later Law (1984-1985 – deferred), both at the University of New South Wales.

Between 1974 and 1977 Symonds was an Alderman at Waverley Municipal Council, and in 1977 became Waverley’s first woman Deputy Mayor. She was appointed to the NSW Legislative Council in 1982, and worked in this role until her resignation in 1998. Elected for the Australian Labor Party, she was a member since 1967 and held numerous party positions including Branch President, State Electorate Council President and Federal Electorate Council executive member.

Throughout her public and parliamentary career Symonds worked on women’s policy, with particular reports on prisons, housing and sexual violence, as well as on children’s policy, peace and disarmament, inquiries into Drug Law and Policy in NSW, and preparation of the Labor Party’s Social Justice Policy at the NSW and National level.
She was Patron of the Mothers’ and Children’s Program, Corrective Services; the Chair, Board of Family Drug Support; and Chair, Board of Guthrie House (residential program for women and children in the Justice system).

Ann Symonds was married with five children. In 2015 Ann was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to social justice, particularly through drug law reform, and to the Parliament of New South Wales.