Sarah Courtney unsuccessfully stood for the Senate in the 2013 Australian federal election prior to her entry into state politics.

In late January 2022, Courtney contracted COVID-19 while holidaying in France and didn't return to Tasmania to oversee the back-to-school preparations for the start of the school year.

She was publicly criticised by opposition parties for "holidaying in Europe for several weeks while stressed parents were preparing to send their children back to school".

In September 2009, Courtney established Fish Hook Wines, a boutique vineyard in the Tamar Valley, Tasmania growing Pinot Noir.

In 2024, Courtney was announced as the chair of the Tasmanian Forest Products Association, a timber industry lobby group.