Penny Wong

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Senator The Honourable  Penny Wong
Penny Wong accepts a "Sustainable Penrith" bucket hat at her UNFCCC address in Bali 2007.
Minister for Climate Change and Water
Incumbent
Assumed office  3 December 2007
Preceded by	none - new portfolio
Born	5 November 1968 (1968-11-05) (age 39) Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Australian Labor Party
Alma mater	University of Adelaide
Website	PennyWong.com.au

Penelope "Penny" Ying-yen Wong (Traditional Chinese:黃英賢,Hanyu Pinyin:Huáng Yīngxián; born November 5, 1968), Australian Labor Party politician, is the current and first Australian Minister for Climate Change and Water. She has been a member of the Australian Senate since 2002, representing South Australia. Wong is the first openly gay member, and the first Asian-born member, of an Australian cabinet or ministry.^[1][2]

Contents 1 Personal 2 Career 3 References 4 See Also 5 External links

[edit] Personal

Wong was born in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia to a Malaysian Chinese Hakka father and an Australian mother.^[3][4] She moved to Australia at the age of eight with her mother and brother, after her parents separated. After spending a year on exchange in Brazil, Wong studied Arts/Law at the University of Adelaide. While at university, she worked part time for the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union.

[edit] Career

She also became involved in political activism at university, winning a position on the National Executive of the National Union of Students. In 1988, Wong joined the Australian Labor Party, winning a position as a delegate to the party's state convention the following year. She has been a delegate each year since, with the exception of 1995.

Wong graduated from university in 1992, and continued on with the CFMEU, working as an industrial officer, gaining admission to the bar in 1993. During 1995 and 1996, she acted as an advisor to the New South Wales state government, specialising in the area of forest policy. On returning to Adelaide, she began practising law, won a position on the ALP's state executive, and also took on work as a legal officer with the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union.

Wong ran for pre-selection for the Senate in 2001, and was selected for the top spot on the party's South Australian ticket, as a result of affirmative action policies and factional changes. Wong is a member of EMILY's List Australia, the support network for Labor women, and currently sits 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 & Accountability, Corporate Governance & Responsibility, and Workforce Participation.

In November 2007, in the wake of the Labor Party victory in the 2007 election, Wong was appointed Minister for Climate Change and Water. As a result of this promotion, she will be the highest ranked politician representing South Australia. She accompanied Prime Minister Kevin Rudd 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 December's United Nations Climate Change Conference.

[edit] References

[edit] See Also

• First Rudd Ministry

[edit] External links

• Official ALP website page
• Senator's own website

v • d • e Current members of the Cabinet of Australia Rudd · Gillard · Swan · Evans · Faulkner · Crean · Smith · Fitzgibbon · Roxon · Macklin · Tanner · Albanese · Conroy · Carr · Wong · Garrett · McClelland · Ludwig · Burke · Ferguson

v • d • e Current members of the Australian Senate NSW George Campbell (ALP) • Helen Coonan (Lib) • John Faulkner (ALP) • Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (Lib) • Michael Forshaw (ALP) • Bill Heffernan (Lib) • Steve Hutchins (ALP) • Sandy Macdonald (Nat) • Fiona Nash (Nat) • Kerry Nettle (Grn) • Marise Payne (Lib) • Ursula Stephens (ALP) QLD Andrew Bartlett (Dem) • Ron Boswell (Nat) • Sue Boyce (Lib) • George Brandis (Lib) • John Hogg (ALP) • Barnaby Joyce (Nat) • Joe Ludwig (ALP) • Ian Macdonald (Lib) • Jan McLucas (ALP) • Brett Mason (Lib) • Claire Moore (ALP) • Russell Trood (Lib) SA Cory Bernardi (Lib) • Simon Birmingham (Lib) • Grant Chapman (Lib) • Alan Ferguson (Lib) • Mary Jo Fisher (Lib) • Annette Hurley (ALP) • Linda Kirk (ALP) • Anne McEwen (ALP) • Nick Minchin (Lib) • Natasha Stott-Despoja (Dem) • Penny Wong (ALP) • Dana Wortley (ALP) Tas Eric Abetz (Lib) • Guy Barnett (Lib) • Bob Brown (Grn) • Carol Brown (ALP) • David Bushby (Lib) • Richard Colbeck (Lib) • Christine Milne (Grn) • Kerry O'Brien (ALP) • Stephen Parry (Lib) • Helen Polley (ALP) • Nick Sherry (ALP) • John Watson (Lib) Vic Lyn Allison (Dem) • Kim Carr (ALP) • Jacinta Collins (ALP) • Steve Conroy (ALP) • Steve Fielding (FFP) • Mitch Fifield (Lib) • Rod Kemp (Lib) • Julian McGauran (Lib) • Gavin Marshall (ALP) • Kay Patterson (Lib) • Michael Ronaldson (Lib) • Judith Troeth (Lib) WA Judith Adams (Lib) • Mark Bishop (ALP) • Mathias Cormann (Lib) • Alan Eggleston (Lib) • Chris Ellison (Lib) • Chris Evans (ALP) • David Johnston (Lib) • Ross Lightfoot (Lib) • Andrew Murray (Dem) • Rachel Siewert (Grn) • Glenn Sterle (ALP) • Ruth Webber (ALP) Territories ACT Gary Humphries (Lib) • Kate Lundy (ALP) NT Trish Crossin (ALP) • Nigel Scullion (CLP) Labor (ALP) • Democrat (Dem) • Family First (FFP) • Greens (Grn) • Liberal (Lib) • Country Liberal (CLP) • National (Nat)

v • d • e Next members of the Australian Senate NSW Mark Arbib (ALP) • Doug Cameron (ALP) • Helen Coonan (Lib) • John Faulkner (ALP) • Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (Lib) • Michael Forshaw (ALP) • Bill Heffernan (Lib) • Steve Hutchins (ALP) • Fiona Nash (Nat) • Marise Payne (Lib) • Ursula Stephens (ALP) • John Williams (Nat) QLD Ron Boswell (Nat) • Sue Boyce (Lib) • George Brandis (Lib) • Mark Furner (ALP) • John Hogg (ALP) • Barnaby Joyce (Nat) • Joe Ludwig (ALP) • Ian Macdonald (Lib) • Jan McLucas (ALP) • Brett Mason (Lib) • Claire Moore (ALP) • Russell Trood (Lib) SA Cory Bernardi (Lib) • Simon Birmingham (Lib) • Don Farrell (ALP) • Alan Ferguson (Lib) • Mary Jo Fisher (Lib) • Sarah Hanson-Young (Grn) • Annette Hurley (ALP) • Anne McEwen (ALP) • Nick Minchin (Lib) • Penny Wong (ALP) • Dana Wortley (ALP) • Nick Xenophon (Ind) Tas Eric Abetz (Lib) • Guy Barnett (Lib) • Catryna Bilyk (ALP) • Bob Brown (Grn) • Carol Brown (ALP) • David Bushby (Lib) • Richard Colbeck (Lib) • Christine Milne (Grn) • Kerry O'Brien (ALP) • Stephen Parry (Lib) • Helen Polley (ALP) • Nick Sherry (ALP) Vic Kim Carr (ALP) • Jacinta Collins (ALP) • Stephen Conroy (ALP) • David Feeney (ALP) • Steve Fielding (FFP) • Mitch Fifield (Lib) • Helen Kroger (Lib) • Gavin Marshall (ALP) • Julian McGauran (Lib) • Michael Ronaldson (Lib) • Scott Ryan (Lib) • Judith Troeth (Lib) WA Judith Adams (Lib) • Mark Bishop (ALP) • Michaelia Cash (Lib) • Mathias Cormann (Lib) • Alan Eggleston (Lib) • Chris Ellison (Lib) • Chris Evans (ALP) • David Johnston (Lib) • Scott Ludlam (Grn) • Louise Pratt (ALP) • Rachel Siewert (Grn) • Glenn Sterle (ALP) Territories ACT Gary Humphries (Lib) • Kate Lundy (ALP) NT Trish Crossin (ALP) • Nigel Scullion (CLP) Labor (ALP) • Family First (FFP) • Greens (Grn) • Liberal (Lib) • Country Liberal (CLP) • National (Nat)