Penny Wright

Penny Wright
Senator for South Australia
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 July 2011
Personal details
Born 19 January 1961[1]
Red Cliffs, Victoria
Nationality Australian
Political party Australian Greens
Spouse(s) Mark Parnell
Children 3
Profession Lawyer

Penelope Lesley "Penny" Wright (born 19 January 1961) is an Australian Greens senator for South Australia, first elected at the 2010 election.

Early life

Wright was born in 1961 at Red Cliffs in the Sunraysia region of Victoria, the sixth of seven children of Lesley and Hugh Wright.[2][3] She spent much of her childhood growing up in Melbourne after her family moved there in 1968. Wright attended Wattle Park High School in Burwood before moving to MacRobertson Girls' High School for high achievers. After completing high school she studied arts/law at the University of Melbourne,[2] later obtaining a graduate diploma in Environmental Studies in Adelaide.[4]

Wright spent 20 years working as a lawyer prior to her election to parliament.[3][5]

Political career

Wright is a founding member of the South Australian branch of the Greens (along with her husband Mark Parnell, a state MLC, generally considered the founder of the South Australian Greens). According to Wright, she postponed her political career at the time (1995) to raise children.[2][6]

Wright was placed first on the South Australian Greens Senate ticket for the 2010 federal election. The party received a 6.8 percent swing in South Australia, finishing with 13.3 percent of the statewide Senate vote. Wright joined eight other Green Senators in the upper house from the start of July 2011, including incumbent South Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young.[7][8]

On commencing her senate term in July 2011, Wright was assigned the portfolios of Attorney-General, Native Title, Veterans' Affairs, Social Inclusion, Mental Health[6] and Heritage within the federal Greens.[9] She now holds the Attorney-General, Veterans' Affairs, Mental Health and Schools and Education Portfolios.[10]

Personal life

Wright is married to Mark Parnell with whom she moved to Adelaide in 1989 following 9 months in Europe.[2] Wright and Parnell have three children, Felix, Eleanor and Mungo.[2][11][12]

References

  1. ↑ "Biography for WRIGHT, Penelope (Penny) Lesley". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Fenton, Andrew (25 June 2011). "Greens duo putting family first". The Advertiser (News Corporation). Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pearson, Les (11 August 2010). "Penny Wright sets Greens agenda in the Riverland". Riverland Weekly. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  4. ↑ "ABC Q&A". Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  5. ↑ "SA Needs Another Progressive Voice in the Senate" (Press release). Australian Greens. 17 April 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Brereton, Adam (8 July 2011). "Just Another Earnest Green From South Australia?". New Matilda. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  7. ↑ "Senate Results - South Australia". 2010 Federal Election. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  8. ↑ Greens.org.au - meet us
  9. ↑ Wright, Penny (4 July 2011). "Statement from Senator Penny Wright". GreensMPs.org.au. Australian Greens. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  10. ↑ Wright, Penny (4 July 2011). "Senator Penny Wright Portfolios". GreensMPs.org.au. Australian Greens. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  11. ↑ "Penny Wright: Candidate for South Australia". The Australian Greens. 2010. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  12. ↑ Parnell, Mark. "Mark Parnell - Background". MarkParnell.org.au. Retrieved 26 May 2010.

External links