Anne Leembruggen was raised in the Sutherland Shire and attended Jannali Girls' High School. She trained as a Special Education teacher and for 5 years taught intellectually handicapped adults and children. She then taught at a primary school in Strathfield, before becoming an Adult Basic Education teacher in the TAFE system. She also lectured at the Institute of Technical and Adult Teacher Education, teaching teachers how to teach adults with language and reading problems.

Anne Leembruggen joined the Summer Hill Action Group in 1985 and this led to her successful election as a councillor on Ashfield Municipal Council. While on Council, she was influential in setting up Vacation Play Centres and she set up a working party to investigate community services needs.

Sources used to compile this entry: Decker, Dianne, Women in Australian Parliament and Local Government: An updated history 1975-1992, Australian Local Government Women's Association, Canberra, 1992; Collection of the election leaflets, handouts, newspaper cuttings etc. for the New South Wales state election, 19th March 1988, Mitchell Library; Western Suburbs Courier, 16 March 1988.