Penny Wong

Penelope Ying-Yen "Penny" Wong (1968 - ) is an Australian politician who has been a South Australian Senator since 2002, and is currently Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. Born in Malaysia to an Australian mother and Malaysian father, she attended school and university in Adelaide. Prior to entering Federal parliament, Wong worked as a lawyer and political advisor. She is the first Asian-born member of an Australian cabinet; from 2007 to 2013, she was federal Minister for Climate Change and Water, for Energy Efficiency, and for Finance and Deregulation. She is the first female openly-LGBTI Australian federal parliamentarian. In 2019, a national survey found her to be Australia’s “most believable” politician. This corresponds with her leadership characteristics of congruence, self-awareness and values clarity. She is known for her personal strength and strong pursuit of her party’s agenda, her incisiveness and grace.

You can choose not to be interested in politics, but you can’t choose to be unaffected by it