Coombs joined the
Australian Merchant Navy in the 1970s, working for six years on
BHP vessels sailing out of Newcastle. He joined the Maritime Union of Australia, and eventually rose to become the Sydney Branch Secretary of the Union, then its National President. He also became an Executive Member of
Unions NSW. He resigned those roles upon being elected to Parliament. Coombs was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in March 2007 for the electorate of Swansea. Coombs was the Caucus chairman. He was also a member of the committee on the
Independent Commission Against Corruption and a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters. At the
March 2011 State Election, Coombs was defeated in the seat of Swansea, after suffering in the statewide landslide defeat of the Labor Party. Coombs lost to the Liberals'
Garry Edwards after just one term in parliament, becoming the first Labor member to be defeated by any other political party in Swansea. ==Personal life==