Penny Wong
Penny Wong is an Australian politician and member of the Australian Labor Party, born on November 5, 1968, in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. She moved to Adelaide, Australia, at the age of eight and pursued law and art at the University of Adelaide, where she developed a passion for labor rights. Wong began her career advocating for furniture workers before transitioning into politics, where she held various significant roles, including Minister for Climate Change and Water, Minister for Finance and Deregulation, and Leader of the Government in the Senate. Elected as a Senator in 2001, she served over two decades and became the first woman to simultaneously hold leadership roles in both government and opposition in the Senate.
In 2022, Wong was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs, focusing on international relations and partnerships, particularly in response to the Ukraine crisis. She is recognized as the first openly LGBTQ+ woman in Australia’s federal cabinet and is also the first Asian-born member of it. Wong is known for her work in environmental conservation, gender equality in leadership, and economic modernization. Outside her political career, she resides in Adelaide with her partner and their two daughters, enjoying activities like cooking and wine tasting.
Subject Terms
Penny Wong
Politician
- Born: November 5, 1968
- Birthplace: Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Significance: Penny Wong is a Malaysian-Australian senator representing the Labor Party. She was first elected in 2001 and re-elected in 2007, 2013, 2016, and 2022. She came to international attention because she was the first openly LGBTQ+ woman to gain appointment to Australia’s cabinet and parliament. She has promoted the rights of LGBTQ+ people in Australia and beyond. She is also the first member of the Australian cabinet to be born in Asia.
Background
Penny Wong was born in Kota Kinabalu in the state of Sabah in Malaysia, on November 5, 1968. Not many details are publicly available about her early life. In 1976, when she was eight years old, her family moved to Adelaide, Australia. Wong attended the University of Adelaide, where she focused on law and art courses.
During her education, she developed an interest in labor rights. When she graduated she joined a furniture industry workers’ union. In this position, Wong worked on many initiatives meant to help raise wages and improve working conditions for furniture workers, many of whom were impoverished immigrants.
Career in Politics
Wong’s work in social reforms led her toward politics. She took a role in the New South Wales (NSW) Labor Government, where she helped inform leaders on environmental concerns and policies. After a short period working as a barrister (a lawyer likely to appear in higher courts), Wong was elected as a Senator for the Australian Labor Party in 2001. She would hold this seat in the Senate for more than two decades thanks to successful re-election bids in 2007, 2013, 2016, and 2022.
In 2007, Wong took on a new role, Minister for Climate Change and Water. Drawing from previous experience as an environmental advisor, she pushed for more ambitious goals in increasing renewable energy use, mainly wind, and solar power, throughout Australia. She also helped create a plan to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and met with climate leaders from other nations for global-scale negotiations.
Her career took a different turn in 2010 when she became Minister for Finance and Deregulation. At that time, Australia, like much of the world, was reeling from a massive international financial crisis. Wong took that into account when assisting in the creation of three governmental budget proposals. During this period, she also promoted policies that would help women get into management roles in politics and businesses.
In 2013, Wong became the first woman in Australia to hold two important roles. First, she became Leader of the Government in the Senate. Later that year, when the parties shifted control, she became Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. In the coming years, she also had a six-year stint as Shadow Foreign Minister. The Shadow Foreign Minister is an unusual role in Australian politics held by a member of the opposition party who closely watches the actions of a particular member or department in the leading party; in Wong’s case, she was responsible for scrutinizing the foreign minister.
In 2022, Wong received a new appointment and a new set of challenges when she was made Minister for Foreign Affairs. She set about on the task of promoting Australia internationally and working to create partnerships with other nations. In the 2020s, Wong became known for her economic initiatives. She also worked for new protections of the Murray River, the longest navigable river in Australia. The river crosses Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia and provides irrigation, energy, recreation, wildlife habitat, and much more to the people in the lands it crosses.
In July 2023, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, the Ukrainian ambassador to Australia, invited Wong to visit Ukraine, much of which has been devastated by an ongoing Russian invasion that began in early 2022. Myroshnychenko believed that Wong would learn more about the country and its people—particularly its young people whose lives have been altered or ended due to the war—and get a better perspective about its urgent needs.
Since Wong’s appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Australia had pledged millions in financial assistance for Ukraine as well as a variety of armored vehicles and other munitions. However, many critics have charged that some of the vehicles are outmoded models from the Vietnam War era and are no longer viable for modern warfare, and that Australia was “dumping” them on Ukraine.
Impact
Penny Wong is known as an experienced and influential figure in high-level Australian politics. Wong became known internationally as the first openly LGBTQ+ woman to serve in Australia’s federal parliament and cabinet. Her policies have shown her interest in protecting LGBTQ+ people, conserving environmental resources, and modernizing Australia’s economy domestically and abroad. She became Minister for Foreign Affairs in 2022 and has since dealt with the crisis in Ukraine. She is also the first Asian-born member of the Australian cabinet.
Personal Life
As of 2023, Wong lives in Adelaide, Australia, with her partner. The couple have two daughters. Wong’s hobbies include shopping at the Adelaide Central Market, a haven for food lovers; cooking; and wine tasting.
Bibliography
“About Penny.” Penny Wong Website, www.pennywong.com.au/about/. Accessed 4 July 2023.
“About the Murray River.” Discover Murray River, 2023, www.murrayriver.com.au/about-the-murray/. Accessed 4 July 2023.
“Penny Wong.” Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0035678/. Accessed 4 July 2023.
“Penny Wong, Senator for South Australia, Leader of the Government in the Senate, Minister for Foreign Affairs.” Penny Wong Website, www.pennywong.com.au. Accessed 4 July 2023.
“Penny Wong, Senator for South Australia, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Leader of the Government in the Senate.” Labor / Penny Wong, www.alp.org.au/our-people/our-people/penny-wong/. Accessed 4 July 2023.
“Senator the Hon Penny Wong.” Parliament of Australia, www.aph.gov.au/Senators‗and‗Members/Parliamentarian?MPID=00AOU. Accessed 4 July 2023.
Shepherd, Tory. “Ukrainian Ambassador Invites Penny Wong to Visit Kyiv to See ‘Traumatised’ Children.” The Guardian, 1 July 2023, www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/02/ukrainian-ambassador-invites-penny-wong-to-visit-kyiv-to-see-traumatised-children. Accessed 4 July 2023.