ANNA BROWN OAM

MAC.ROB student, 1993-1996
PORTRAIT GALLERY INDUCTEE, 2022
BA (Hons) / LLB (Hons) 
hUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATE

Anna Brown OAM is a lawyer and advocate. Her fingerprints are on nearly every major reform for LGBTIQ+ people in recent years, including playing a crucial role in achieving marriage equality as co-chair of the ‘YES’ campaign and running a challenge against the postal survey in the High Court. Anna has been instrumental in hard-fought battles to secure federal LGBTIQ+ discrimination protections, improve access to birth certificates for trans people, remove discriminatory laws across the country, right historical wrongs by establishing schemes to erase historical homosexual offences and outlaw so-called ‘conversion’ therapy. Anna’s legal work has also helped to improve access to gender affirming care for young trans people and furthered legal recognition of sex and gender diversity.

Anna is the founding CEO of national LGBTIQ+ organisation Equality Australia and was previously Legal Director at the Human Rights Law Centre, an advisor to the former Attorney-General and Deputy Premier of Victoria, Rob Hulls, a senior associate at law firm Allens Linklaters and a Federal Court associate. She studied Arts and Law at Monash University and was President of the Law Students Society.

During her time at Mac.Rob with her twin sister Robyn she was active in music, sport and the SRC, through which she started the first ever Mac.Rob football team. Anna went on to play women’s football throughout her university years and represented NSW in 2006. 

In 2019 Anna was awarded a medal of the Order of Australia for her contribution to human rights and the LGBTIQ+ community. Anna was named one of Australia’s top 10 influential women by the Australian Financial Review in 2019, was a finalist for Victorian Australian of the Year in 2015 and named inaugural Victorian GLBTI Person of the Year in 2014.

She lives in Sydney with her partner Kate and their rescue dog Freddy.