Sharon Joy Grierson was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, on 4 May 1951. She was educated at Newcastle Teachers College and worked as teacher and school principal before entering politics.
As a politician, Grierson became a member of the Australian Labor Party. She was elected member of the Australian House of Representatives in November 2001, representing the Division of Newcastle, and re-elected in 2004, 2007 and 2010.
However, in July 2012, citing the need to attend to family and personal health issues, Grierson announced she would retire from parliament and thus not seek to be Labor candidate for Newcastle at the next election..
She is currently the only Labor MP to sign the Australian Marriage Equality Charter, voting in favour for legislation to legalise same-sex marriage in Australia when it is presented in parliament. She also chaired the Public Accounts and Audit Committee.
Sharon is co-convenor of the Parliamentary Friends of Dementia, a parliamentary friendship group that advocates for Australians living with dementia, their families and carers.