Pam Allen was educated at Greystanes High School and the University of Sydney, from which she graduated with a BA, Dip Ed With honours in Government.

She joined the ALP in 1971 and held office at branch, and state electoral levels. She was Vice-President of the Labor Women’s Conference and has been on the State Labor Disputes Committee since 1982. She was Women’s Coordinator, NSW Teachers’ Federation 1977-1981 and taught in high schools in 1976 and 1981-1984.

She was elected to the Parramatta City Council in 1983, serving a full four-year term.
In 1984-88 she became a public servant, working in the Department of Youth and Community Services, and Public Service Board. In 1988 Pam was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Wentworthville and then for Blacktown in 1991 and 1995. In 1999 and 2003 she was once again elected the Assembly's member for Wentworthville. Pam Allen became Shadow Minister Planning & Environment 1991-1995, Minister for Environment 1995-1999, Chair, Select Committee on Salinity, 2000-2002 and Chair, Standing Committee on Resource Management, from May 2003. She remains the member for Wentworthville in 2005.

Sources used to compile this entry: 'HERstory: Australian Labor Women in Federal, State and Territory Parliaments 1925-1994', Townsville, Qld., 1994; De Micheli, Catherine and Herd, Margaret (eds), Who's who in Australia 2003, 39 edn, Crown Content, North Melbourne, 2003, 2201 pp; http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/members.nsf (accessed 30 September 2004).