Penelope Ying-Yen Wong (born 5 November 1968) is an Australian politician who is serving as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Government in the Senate in the Albanese government since 2022. A member of the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also known as the Labor Party or simply Labor, is the major Centre-left politics, centre-left List of political parties in Australia, political party in Australia and one of two Major party, major parties in Po ...

(ALP), she has been a

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

for

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

since 2002. Wong previously served as Minister for Climate Change and Minister for Finance and Deregulation during the governments of prime ministers

Kevin Rudd Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957) is an Australian diplomat and former politician who served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and June to September 2013. He held office as the Leaders of the Australian Labo ...

and Julia Gillard from 2007 until 2013. Born in

Kota Kinabalu Kota Kinabalu (; formerly known as Jesselton), colloquially referred to as KK, is the state capital of Sabah, Malaysia. It is also the capital of the Kota Kinabalu District as well as the West Coast Division of Sabah. The city is located on the ...

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...

, Malaysia, to a Chinese-Malaysian father from the town of Sandakan and an English-Australian mother from Adelaide, Wong was educated at Scotch College prior to attending the University of Adelaide, graduating with Bachelor of Arts and

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

degrees. She then worked as a lawyer and political advisor. Wong entered politics by winning a Senate seat in the 2001 election. Following Labor's victory in the 2007 election, she was appointed Australia's first-ever Minister for Climate Change, going on to represent the country at the landmark 2009 UN Climate Change Conference in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

. Following the 2010 election, Wong was moved to become Minister for Finance and Deregulation, and in June 2013, she was elected by her colleagues to become Leader of the Government in the Senate. Following Labor's defeat in the 2013 election, Wong held several roles in the shadow cabinets of both Bill Shorten and Anthony Albanese, serving as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate throughout. Upon Labor's victory at the 2022 election, Wong was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs, and resumed her role as Leader of the Government in the Senate. In 2008, she became the first Asian-Australian in an Australian cabinet. She was also the first female openly LGBTI Australian federal parliamentarian, and was an instrumental figure in the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Australia in 2017, reversing her previous endorsement of Labor Party policy that had opposed it. On 6 March 2024, Wong became longest-serving female cabinet minister in the history of the Australian Parliament. Several surveys have consistently found Wong to be the most trusted politician in Australia.

Early life and education

Penelope Ying-Yen Wong was born on 5 November 1968 in

, the capital of

, which had become part of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963. Her parents were Jane (née Chapman) (died 2024), an English Australian whose forebears first reached South Australia on '' Cygnet'' in 1836, and Francis Wong (1941–2023), a Chinese-Malaysian architect-cum-town-planner of mixed

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

and Hakka descent who hailed from Sandakan, the former capital and second-largest city or town located in the state's east coast. Penny Wong's parents had met in the early 1960s, when Francis Wong was studying architecture at the University of Adelaide under the Colombo Plan. Wong grew up speaking Bahasa Malaysia (particularly the Sabahan dialect), Chinese (her native vernacular dialects of

and Hakka) in addition to English which was her first or home language spoken to her mixed-race parents. At five years old, she began attending the Kinabalu International School. After her parents separated, she moved to

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, at the age of eight with her mother and younger brother. After starting at Coromandel Valley Primary School, Wong gained a scholarship to Scotch College, Adelaide, where she studied chemistry, physics and mathematics. During her time at Scotch College, Wong toured

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

as part of her French-language studies, performed in school productions of plays such as '' Six Characters in Search of an Author'', and co-captained the hockey team. She was accepted into the

Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education trad ...

at the University of Adelaide, but after spending a year on exchange in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, found she had an aversion to blood. She then studied and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in

Jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

and a

with Honours at the University of Adelaide in 1993, followed by a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice at the University of South Australia.

Student politics and activism

Through her friendship with David Penberthy, who had also been on exchange in Latin America, Wong joined the Socialist Workers Party-sponsored Committee in Solidarity with Central America and the Caribbean (CISCAC) while at university in 1987, but was not an active member. Wong's connections with CISCAC brought her in contact with a broader group of left-wing activists who opposed the Hawke Labor government's planned changes to university fees. In a July 1988 election, Wong won a position on the board of the Adelaide University Union as part of the newly formed Progressive Education Team. One month later, while protesting outside a state Labor Party convention at the Adelaide Trades Hall, Wong had a conversation with Young Labor member Lois Boswell, who told her that "if you wanted to really make a difference, you had to be inside the room having that battle." Wong joined the Labor Party that day; she credits her decision to her conversation with Boswell, and the Liberal-National Coalition's new " One Australia" policy opposing

multiculturalism Multiculturalism is the coexistence of multiple cultures. The word is used in sociology, in political philosophy, and colloquially. In sociology and everyday usage, it is usually a synonym for ''Pluralism (political theory), ethnic'' or cultura ...

and Asian immigration. Wong became involved with the leadership of the Adelaide University Labor Club, and has been a delegate to the South Australian Labor Party State Convention every year since 1989 (with the exception of 1995). She also worked part-time for the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), and won a position on the National Executive of the National Union of Students. A number of her contemporaries at university went on to become Australian politicians, including former senator for South Australia, Natasha Stott Despoja; former

Premier of South Australia The premier of South Australia is the head of government in the state of South Australia, Australia. The Government of South Australia follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of South Australia acting as the legislature. The premier i ...

, Jay Weatherill; and health minister Mark Butler.

Professional career

After graduation, Wong continued her association with the CFMEU as an industrial officer. She was admitted to the South Australian Bar in 1993. During 1995 and 1996, Wong acted as an advisor to the CFMEU and to the newly elected New South Wales state government, specializing in the area of forest policy in the middle of the fierce 1990s environmental battles over logging in NSW. On returning to Adelaide, Wong began practising law, working as a solicitor at the firm Duncan and Hannon (1996–1999). From 1999 to 2002, she worked as a legal officer with the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union. During this time she also won a position on the ALP's state executive. During her legal career (1996–2002), Wong appeared as counsel in eleven published decisions of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, 15 published decisions of the South Australian Industrial Relations Court, eight published decisions of the South Australian Industrial Relations Commission, three published decisions of the South Australian Workers Compensation Appeal Tribunal and ten published decisions of the South Australian Workers Compensation Tribunal.

Political career

Election to the Senate

Wong ran for pre-selection for the Senate in 2001, and was selected for the top position on the Labor Party's South Australian ticket. She was elected at the 2001 election, her term commencing on 1 July 2002. Wong is a member of

Labor Left The Labor Left (LL), also known as the Progressive Left, Socialist Left or simply the Left, is one of the two major political factions within the Australian Labor Party (ALP). It is nationally characterised by social progressivism and democra ...

, and is a member of EMILY's List Australia, the support network for Labor women, and sat on a number of Senate committees, primarily those related to economics. In June 2005, Wong was appointed Shadow Minister for Employment and Workforce Participation, and Shadow Minister for Corporate Governance and Responsibility. Following the reshuffle in December 2006, she became responsible for the portfolios of Public Administration and Accountability, Corporate Governance and Responsibility, and Workforce Participation.

First Rudd government (2007–2013)

In December 2007, in the wake of the Labor Party victory in the 2007 election, Wong was appointed to the

Cabinet of Australia The Cabinet of Australia, also known as the Federal Cabinet, is the chief decision-making body of the Australian government. The Cabinet is selected by the prime minister and is composed of senior government ministers who administer the exec ...

in the first Rudd government as the Minister for Climate Change, the first person to hold this role in an Australian cabinet. She accompanied then Prime Minister

to Bali for the international climate change talks. Wong led final negotiations as Chair of the United Nations Working Group in the closing days of the

United Nations Climate Change Conference The United Nations Climate Change Conferences are yearly conferences held in the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). They serve as the formal meeting of the UNFCCC parties – the conference of the par ...

in December 2007, shortly after her appointment as minister.

Gillard and Second Rudd governments (2010–2013)

Shortly after the commencement of the Gillard government in June 2010, Julia Gillard promoted Wong to succeed Lindsay Tanner as Minister for Finance and Deregulation. At this time, Wong said she agreed with the Labor Party policy on marriage because there was a, "cultural, religious and historical view of marriage being between a man and a woman". In February 2013, Wong was elected as the ALP's deputy Senate leader following the resignation of Chris Evans, thus becoming Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate. Wong retained the position of Minister for Finance after Kevin Rudd's successful leadership spill in June 2013. Following Stephen Conroy's resignation and the beginning of the second Rudd government, she also became the Leader of the Government in the Senate. She was the first woman to be elected as ALP Senate leader, and the first woman to serve as Leader of the Government in the Senate. Wong held these roles until Labor's defeat at the 2013 federal election.

Opposition (2013–2022)

Following Labor's defeat at the 2013 Australian federal election, Wong was elected Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, becoming the first woman to hold the position. She was also appointed Labor's foreign affairs spokesperson. In this role, she helped negotiate Australia's interests in the Trans-Pacific Partnership which was ratified in late 2018. In March 2019, Wong was named the 2018 McKinnon Political Leader of the Year. Following the 2019 Labor leadership contest, Wong retained her positions as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs in the new cabinet of Anthony Albanese. At this point she was named part of Albanese's four-person ALP leadership team, along with Richard Marles and Kristina Keneally.

Albanese Government (2022–present)

With Labor winning government in the 2022 Australian federal election, Wong became Minister for Foreign Affairs. She was sworn in on 23 May 2022, only two days after the election and before final results were known, in order to attend a pre-scheduled meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with newly elected Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Wong is the first Asian Australian and the first openly LGBTI person to hold the office of Australian Foreign Minister. On 6 March 2024 Wong became longest-serving female cabinet minister in the history of the Australian Parliament, setting a new record as she served her 2,769th day in cabinet and exceeding the number of days served by former Liberal senator Amanda Vanstone.

China

Wong sought to improve the relationship between Australia and China, which deteriorated after the previous Australian government under

Scott Morrison Scott John Morrison (born 13 May 1968) is an Australian former politician who served as the 30th prime minister of Australia from 2018 to 2022. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, leader of the Liberal Party and was ...

wanted to investigate the origins of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and condemned China's mistreatment of ethnic

Uyghurs The Uyghurs,. alternatively spelled Uighurs, Uygurs or Uigurs, are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central Asia and East Asia. The Uyghurs are recognized as the ti ...

. In December 2022, Wong met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, becoming the first Australian cabinet minister to visit China since 2019. In response to Chinese naval exercises in the Tasman Sea in February 2025, Wong met Wang Yi at the G20 summit in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

to raise Australian concerns about Chinese naval activities near Australia.

Israel-Palestine

In October 2022, Wong announced that the Albanese government would be reversed the previous Morrison government's decision to recognise

West Jerusalem West Jerusalem or Western Jerusalem (, ; , ) refers to the section of Jerusalem that was controlled by Israel at the end of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. As the city was divided by the Green Line (Israel's erstwhile border, established by ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

's capital, adding that Jerusalem's status should be decided through peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. In August 2023, Wong confirmed that Australia would revert to its pre-2014 policy of designating the

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

, East Jerusalem and the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...

as " Occupied Palestinian Territories" and the Israeli settlements there as "illegal". Following

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

' attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, Wong has repeatedly expressed support for Israel during the Gaza war and called for Hamas to release Israeli hostages. Wong also paused funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in February 2024 after Israel alleged that 12 of the UNRWA's 13,000 staff were either involved in the attacks by Hamas on 7 October or had links to Hamas. She said she was waiting for Israel to provide evidence for the allegations and said that the UNRWA was the only organisation providing substantive support to the occupied Palestinian territories. A report by

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

in the UK said that a dossier provided by Israel to the United Nations contained no evidence to support its allegations; at the same time Wong said that Israel's allegations were serious, noting that UNRWA itself had stated that an investigation was warranted. Wong also expressed concerns about Israel's planned Rafah offensive in February 2024, describing it as "unjustifiable". In early April 2024, Wong said that the Albanese government was considering recognising Palestinian statehood as a means of facilitating a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. Her comments attracted criticism from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry President Daniel Aghon but were welcomed by the president of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, Nasser Mashni. After the Albanese government voted in favour of a

United Nations General Assembly resolution A United Nations General Assembly resolution is a decision or declaration voted on by all member states of the United Nations in the United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly. General Assembly resolutions usually require a simple majority ...

supporting Palestinian membership of the United Nations in May 2024, Wong clarified that the vote did not mean that Australia would recognise Palestinian statehood but was rather about extending "modest additional rights to participate in United Nations forums". She reiterated that Australia would only recognise Palestine "when we think the time is right" and that a reformed

Palestinian Authority The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, ...

, not Hamas, should "lead its people" in a future Palestinian state. In August 2024, Wong joined several world leaders in condemning Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's statement about "starving'" Palestinians in Gaza until hostages are returned. After the

International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and International court, international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute ...

(ICC) issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, Wong stated that the Australian government "respects the independence of the ICC and its important role in upholding international law". On 11 June 2025, Wong announced that the Australian government would be joining

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

in banning and freezing the assets of two far-right Israeli government ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Smotrich for advocating violence and the displacement of Palestinians.

The Pacific and New Zealand

Within a few days of being sworn into office, Wong visited several Pacific countries to emphasise the new government's approach to climate change and relations with nations in the region, including

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

(where she addressed the Pacific Islands Forum),

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

and

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

. On 16 June 2022, Wong visited New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta to reaffirm

bilateral relations Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...

and cooperation in the areas of climate change, indigenous and

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

issues. Wong also stated that her government would consider New Zealand's concerns about Australia's Section 501 deportation policy, which had strained relations between the two countries. On 1 February 2024, Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles hosted their New Zealand counterparts Winston Peters and Judith Collins for a joint bilateral meeting of foreign and defence ministers in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. During the meeting, Marles confirmed that Australian would brief New Zealand about AUKUS Pillar Two, which would focus on advanced military technology including quantum computing and artificial intelligence. The Australian and New Zealand governments also committed to boosting bilateral security and defence cooperation. In mid-June 2024, Wong and several cabinet colleagues including Marles and

Pat Conroy Donald Patrick Conroy (October 26, 1945 – March 4, 2016) was an American author who wrote several acclaimed novels and memoirs; his books ''The Water Is Wide (book), The Water is Wide'', ''The Lords of Discipline'', ''The Prince of Tides (no ...

attended the 30th Australia-Papua New Guinea Ministerial Forum in Port Moresby. During the visit, the Albanese government also announced several initiatives under a bilateral security agreement with Papua New Guinea.

Southeast Asia

On 6 June 2022, Albanese along with Foreign Minister Wong, Trade Minister Don Farrell and Industry Minister Ed Husic visited Indonesian President

Joko Widodo Joko Widodo (; born 21 June 1961), often known mononymously as Jokowi, is an Indonesian politician, engineer, and businessman who served as the seventh president of Indonesia from 2014 to 2024. Previously a member of the Indonesian Democratic ...

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

to reaffirm relations with Indonesia and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). Between 4–6 March 2024, Australia hosted a "special summit" between Australia and the member nations of ASEAN to mark 50 years of diplomatic dialogue relations. During the summit, Wong exchanged a memorandum of understanding affirming the Australian–Malaysian comprehensive strategic partnership with Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hassan at the second Australia-Malaysia annual leaders' meeting. Several diplomatic and economic initiatives were also reached at the summit, including a $2 billion "Southeast Asia Investment Financing Facility", a $140 million infrastructure development partnership, and expanded business visa programs. On 15 December 2024 Wong along with Albanese and

Tony Burke Anthony Stephen Burke (born 4 November 1969) is an Australian politician serving as Leader of the House, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for the Arts. He is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), and has served as member of ...

confirmed that surviving Bali Nine members Matthew Norman, Scott Rush, Martin Stephens, Si Yi Chen, and Michael Czugaj had been repatriated to Australia after serving over 19 years in prison in Indonesia. The five had been convicted of attempting to import over eight kilograms of

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

from

Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...

in 2005.

United States

During a 2023 Senate estimates hearing, Wong was asked about the presence of nuclear weapons aboard nuclear-capable B-52s and B2 Spirits U.S. bombers, which operate regularly out of northern Australia. When U.S. bombers visit Australia, the U.S. government does not tell the Australian government whether the aircraft are carrying nuclear weapons. Wong said the Australian Government "understand and respect the longstanding U.S. policy of neither confirming or denying". She also said the government wanted a greater U.S. military presence in the

region.

Public image

Wong has been described by her biographer as "principled, intellectual, private, restrained and sane". In 2022,

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

described her as a "high profile" figure with "a reputation for plain language and maintaining composure during heated debates." Several studies and surveys have consistently found Wong to be the most trusted politician in Australia among respondents. Wong has been consistently named as Australia's most trusted politician through studies and opinion polling. Polling conducted by The Australia Institute in 2019 found that Wong was the most trusted federal legislator, though then-

Prime Minister of New Zealand The prime minister of New Zealand () is the head of government of New Zealand. The prime minister, Christopher Luxon, leader of the New Zealand National Party, took office on 27 November 2023. The prime minister (informally abbreviated to P ...

Jacinda Ardern topped the poll altogether. Studies taken in March 2022 and December 2023 by Roy Morgan Research found Wong to be Australia's most trusted politician. Wong was deemed the most effective minister in the Albanese government in a survey of '' Australian Financial Review'' readers in 2022 and 2023. Opinion polling undertaken by ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

'' and ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'' in December 2023 also found Wong to be the most liked politician in the country.

Personal life

Wong is a practising Christian just like her late father, Francis and late paternal grandmother, Lai Fung Shim, for she is a congregant of the Pilgrim Uniting Church in Adelaide. She has said "I do not ever remember having the sense that I denied the existence of God." Others in her wider family from Sabah are Buddhist, but she also has Christian relatives on her paternal family. She held

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

n citizenship before renouncing it in 2001. Wong is a lesbian and came out publicly a month after she assumed her Senate seat in 2002. In 2010, Wong was selected by readers of Samesame website as one of the 25 most influential lesbian Australians. Wong's wife, Sophie Allouache, is a public servant and former University of Adelaide Students' Association president. In December 2011, Allouache gave birth to their first child, after announcing the IVF-assisted pregnancy. Allouache gave birth to their second daughter in 2015. Wong and Allouache married in 2024. Wong received media attention in June 2022, on a visit to Indonesia, for making a speech in fluent Indonesian; it is unclear whether she learned Indonesian separately, or was relying on the similarities between Indonesian and Malay, which she learned as a child in Malaysia.

References

External links