Born in Brisbane. Cadet at Courier-Mail. Joined Communist Party of Australia in 1939. Enlisted in Australian Army in 1941 and served as lieutenant in New Guinea then as a pilot in the Australian Air Force. Returning to Courier-Mail after the war, he was awarded the Kemsley Empire Journalism Scholarship, reporting from London and Europe. Fired by Keith Murdoch for not obeying editorial instructions. Robertson then become sub-editor of the Melbourne Argus, before joining the Victorian Peace Council. He became secretary of the NSW Peace Council in 1951. Robertson married Mavis Moten in 1953. In the 1950s Robertson was elected to the CPA's Central Committee and later the National Committee. Became Chief Editor of the Tribune in 1964. Campaigned for Papua New Guinea's independence and the anti-Vietnam war movement, and other left wing causes.

Born Mavis Moten in Melbourne, to John and Claire (nee Tilley) Moten. Member of the Eureka Youth League in the 1940s. Married journalist Alec Robertson in 1953. Campaigned on numerous causes including against apartheid, in support of Chilean refugees following the 1973 coup, in the peace and anti-nuclear movement, and for women’s liberation. Became a joint secretary of the Communist Party of Australia in 1976 and left the party in 1984. First chair of Jessie Street Trust. Became involved in the superannuation industry in the 1980s and held leadership roles in several organisations, including the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST), Cbus, and Women in Super. In 1998 co-founded the Mother’s Day Classic fun run for breast cancer research.

Freda Brown was a political activist, trade unionist and feminist. She was an ardent supporter of women's rights, peace, and anti-apartheid movements in Australia and Internationally. A member of the Communist Party of Australia, she was also involved in establishing and leading women's organisations including the Union of Australian Women and the Women's International Democratic Foundation. Brown travelled widely in service of her political causes. In 1977, she was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize. She was honoured by the South African government in 2004 for her efforts against apartheid.
Brown was married to Bill Brown from 1943 until his death in 1992. She is the mother of former Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon.