Alison Woodroffe was born in Adelaide, South Australia, on 25 October 1941.
She attended the Wilderness School from 1946 to 1958, and in 1962 she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Adelaide.
From 1963 to 1964, she was a cadet for the Australian Department of External Affairs before beginning her extensive public service career, including various diplomatic postings, with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT).
Broinowski ran in New South Wales as a Senate candidate for The Wikileaks Party at the 2013 Australian federal election.
[1][2] Broinowski was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2019 Australia Day Honours in recognition of her "significant service to international relations as an academic, author, and diplomat".