Despite all their differences over same-sex marriage, Penny Wong never had to fear that Farrell aspired to her job as Senate leader. Chris Wallace is a political historian at ANU and the biographer of Germaine Greer. I am a passionate and enthusiastic writer, covering entertainment, sports, and politics. Certainly, Wong is known widely within the party for her driving ambition, and her lack of squeamishness about the hard and unattractive side of factional business, of which she saw plenty through the Crean/Latham era. As you can hear in the background, it was a full house for the launch of @UniversitySA's Global Executive MBA (Defence & Space). Penelope Ying-Yen Wong was born in 1968 in Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah in the North Borneo part of Malaysia. This issue Im really tired of talking about it. It was an unfortunate display of branch stacking - by both of us. Who is Penny Wong's first boyfriend Jay Weatherill? Wong, who was at the University of Adelaide with nascent Australian Democrat MP Natasha Stott Despoja and journalists David Penberthy, Samantha Maiden and Annabel Crabb, also has in her past a five-year relationship with the former South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill. Please try again later. During the discussion of taking refugees from Central America, Mr Birmingham said it was important to take the most needy, the most worthy. JAY Weatherill has called on Australia to take a good hard look at itself during an emotional episode of Q&A. Updated: November 15, 2012 "They had ambition, vitality, energy - they were a generation that really wanted to make a difference," Bolkus recalls. With the Kevin 07 ALP victory, she became minister for climate change and water, a frontbench heavyweight. As the ALP digests its recent report on how it lost the 2019 election, some commentators are calling for a change of leadership. Tobys story is a tragic part of Wongs life. Kevin Rudd AC @AmboRudd. In the six and a half years he led the Government, Jay was one of the most . During this time she also won a position on the ALP's state executive. In July, Jay Weatherill (seen next to SA irrigator Sam Dodd) and Ian Hunter were joined by South Australian senators Labor's Penny Wong, the Greens' Sarah Hanson-Young, Australian . Gillard certainly cut the deal with the independents, but he retained the majority in the House. It didn't catch on. wondered her old comrade Barrett, with interest, when contacted this week. She says her father was the member of the family who used to construct long-term plans. [37], In December 2013 Holden announced it would withdraw production from Australia. By then Wong, at 53, will have been in the Senate for 20 years a long and exhausting run. Life improved greatly when Penny won a scholarship to the lite Scotch College. Advancing reconciliation with Aboriginal South Australians - commencing treaty discussions with Aboriginal nations. August 2012, in the aftermath of the GFC, BHP announced that the $20 billion Olympic Dam mine expansion would not go ahead, citing 'subdued commodity prices and higher capital costs'. Her alliance with Mark Butler is enduring, and important to the party. Toby joined her at Scotch, where he did less brilliantly. On the other hand, she is principled, intellectual, private, restrained and sane, generous to her staff which is loyal to her. Delivering once in a generation reforms for LGBTIQ South Australians taking South Australia from a laggard to once again leading Australia in respect to LGBTIQ rights; Championing gender equality achieving 50% female representation on Government boards, helping women become more financially and economically secure, and supporting womens sport; and. It is a health and medical research institute housing more than 700 researchers, and was the first stage of a new health and bio-medical precinct on North Terrace in Adelaide. The Royal Commission report urged South Australia to pursue a waste storage facility, claiming South Australia has the "attributes and capabilities to manage and dispose of international used nuclear fuel safely". "She was totally focused on politics, right from when she started," says Kris Hanna, another comrade who ended up in the South Australian Parliament - he now serves as an independent, having defected from Labor several years ago. Jay Weatherill and Rod Equid Photos Photos - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (C) talks at the ASC facilities as Australian Senator Penny Wong (L), South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill . Six years later, after an amicable marriage breakdown, Jane, Penny and Toby moved there permanently. On the one hand she fears the electoral impact the percentage of Australians who would change their vote because of her. [85], Weatherill is married to Melissa, and they have two young daughters. The plan included construction of a State Government-owned 250MW gas-fired power station, around 10 per cent of SA's peak demand, and grid connected utility scale battery storage (the Tesla Big Battery / Hornsdale Power Reserve) to support the grid during periods of peak demand. And there's the rub. Weatherill claimed these grants created 10,000 jobs in their first year. Penny Wong and Jay Weatherill View 5 Penny Wong and Jay Weatherill Photos Show Jay Weatherill With: Tony Abbott , Hillary Clinton , Rod Equid , Gary Burns , Prince Charles Every biographer has a relationship with their subject, even if they have passed away. She then studied and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Jurisprudence and a Bachelor of Laws with Honours at the University of Adelaide, and completed a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice at the University of South Australia. The incoming Liberal government won a total of 25 seats, with crossbench independents holding 3 seats. Wong rejects any view of herself and Keneally as rivals. Theres another simple solution, retorted Mr Weatherill. How long did Penny Wong and Jay Weatherill date? "[73] Others in her wider family from Sabah are Buddhist. [23], After starting at Coromandel Valley Primary School, Wong gained a scholarship to Scotch College, Adelaide, where she studied chemistry, physics and mathematics. I think thats sometimes taken for granted. Related Authors. Moving a condolence motion in the Senate . The many surprises in the life of Penny Wong and why she'll never be PM. A member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), she has been a Senator for South Australia since 2002. Simons notes that Wongs Liberal opponents have only good things to say about her (as does the cleaner in charge of ministerial offices at Parliament House), and that she is commonly regarded with a mixture of fear and respect. Also Appearing: Hillary Clinton, Jay Weatherill, Penny Wong, Rod Equid . Its a shocker of a job, the Immigration Minister, whatever you do, no-one is happy. Wong gently disagrees, but says she never thought of a House of Representatives seat in any event: "I actually think that the house of review is the chamber where more detailed legislative work is done.". [19][20] Wong grew up speaking dialects of Malay (Bahasa Melayu), Chinese, and English. Her initial plan was to be a doctor, and to work for Medecins Sans Frontieres; she won a spot in medical school in 1986, deferred it, and then left for an exchange year in Brazil, where she volunteered at a hospital - and quickly changed her career plans. At the time Holden directly employed 1,600 people in its Elizabeth plant in South Australia, with a total of 3,000 job losses predicted through the supply chain. They are just her major strengths," he says. The White Australia policy still existed and in any case Francis faced family obligations requiring his presence back home. They are allies, she says, and Keneally has earned her place. It came after audience member David Hunter posed a question to Penny Wong about whether Labor might be smarter to agree to a plebiscite so a decision would be guaranteed early next year. [22] After her parents separated, she moved to Adelaide, South Australia, at the age of eight with her mother and younger brother. [71], In September 2017, at the opening of the International Astronautical Congress held in South Australia, Weatherill announced the South Australian Space Industry Centre. [57] There were concerns that if the steelworks fell over Whyalla would be unlikely to survive, with one in six of Whyalla's workers employed by Arrium at the time. She formed a deep alliance with the "Bolkus Left" - a sociable grouping of ambitious youngsters around the then senator Nick Bolkus, who was a mentor to Wong and whom she thanked in her maiden speech in 2002. Check out the latest pictures, photos and images of Penny Wong and Jay Weatherill. Between 1987 and 1990, he worked for the Australian Workers' Union. We tend to idealise politicians who appear different from the pack, and then tear them down when they inevitably disappoint. She started to the left of the Labor Party, but in 1988 in the heat of debate and student protest over the introduction of the HECS scheme, she became convinced that it was more important to be in the room to influence policy. Nevertheless, some wonder whether she will reconsider if the partys success seems to depend on it, and when her children are older. 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. Keneally is now shadow minister for home affairs, up against Peter Dutton. Born in Malaysia to a Chinese Malaysian father and a British Australian mother, Wong was educated at Scotch College in Adelaide, before attending the University of Adelaide, graduating with Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees. [75], Wong is a lesbian and came out publicly a month after she assumed her Senate seat in 2002. Like Julia Gillard (a friend), Wong has answered internal critics with the most crushingly effective retort available in politics - performance. Staying in Adelaide was not an option, Simons explains. She is calm, groomed, and virtually unflappable. [78] In December 2011, Allouache gave birth to their first child,[79] after announcing the IVF-assisted pregnancy using donor sperm in August 2011. Wong does not discuss the circumstances of this dreadful blow, beside an enigmatic promise to him in her maiden speech: "Your life and death ensure that I shall never forget what it is like for those who are truly marginalised. #samesexmarriage #qanda, Jay Weatherill said it as it is, pass the legislation now. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Whether as prime minister or foreign minister, there is a good chance that she will yet be one of our top leaders, which is a compelling reason for us to know more about the making of Penny Wong. Editor at Ghanafuo.com! Wong worked part-time as an organiser for the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union through the concluding stages of her law degree, but still managed to graduate with honours. [4][5][6][7][8] A 2022 study conducted by Roy Morgan Research found Wong to be the most trusted politician in Australia among respondents. Type above and press Enter to search. If you are prone to labels, Penny Wong may seem an unlikely star of a polity currently perceived as redneck, racist and regressingat a rate of knots. He is currently retired and announced his intention to retire from Parliament on December 6, 2018. [53], In 2015, Weatherill invited the South Australian Law Reform Institute to review all legislation for discrimination against the LGBTIQ community resulting in a number of bills eventually being passed in the South Australian Parliament. As well, she credits him with holding the government together during the years of minority government under Gillard. [57] At this point she was named part of Albanese's four-person ALP leadership team, along with Richard Marles and Kristina Keneally. This was in response to AEMO ordering power be cut to tens of thousands of homes rather than instructing generators to switch on[69] The plan also further incentivised gas exploration by increasing royalties to farmers, and ensuring that gas went to South Australians first[70], On 16 March 2017, Weatherill eviscerated then federal energy minister Josh Frydenberg at a press conference in Adelaide. [24] She was accepted into the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery at the University of Adelaide,[25] but after spending a year on exchange in Brazil,[26] found she had an aversion to blood. "We don't want that in state parliament," he said. [19][20] Weatherill was then sworn in as the 45th Premier of South Australia on 21 October 2011. When I am not immersed in writing, I spend most of my time reading, learning languages, and catching up on my favorite shows. Wong describes herself as a social democrat. the capital of Sabah in Malaysia. [25][26][33], Wong graduated from the University of South Australia in 1992, and continued her association with the CFMEU as an industrial officer. Family friends included Muslims and members of the local indigenous people, the Dayaks, of whom some were Christian, some Muslim, while others practised their original indigenous religion. But it is also a keen assessment of her own talents, limitations and abilities. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [7] In the early 1990s, he worked at the law firm Duncan Hannon with Patrick Conlon and Isobel Redmond. In 1988 she swivelled her gun turrets towards the Labor Club, which had been colonised two or three years earlier by George Karzis, a cheerful right-wing headkicker who has since worked in senior advisory roles for state and federal Labor politicians. Bennett had a social ease that smoothed the way in Wong's preselection campaign, as well as the enthusiasm to overcome Wong's caution about the bid. Were working to restore it. Id just like to get it done.. When asked if he was serious, the premier replied yes. Mar 31. He held that position from October 21, 2011, until March 19, 2018. He wanted to stay on, but was defeated by a coalition of friends and foes. Later that year, at the Tampa election won by John Howard, Wong was elected to the Australian Senate. I would like it injected in this conversation, perhaps the right of Muslim Australians to not be vilified.. [47] Weatherill used the release of the report as an opportunity to undertake "one of the largest" deliberative democracy processes in Australia's history. Check out the latest pictures, photos and images of Jay Weatherill and Penny Wong. Press Esc to cancel. In 2006 Wong met her current partner, Sophie Allouache; together they have two daughters, Alexandra, born in 2011, and Hannah, in 2015. If a comrade was spending long hours campaigning, Wong might arrange for a set of course notes to materialise in that person's pigeonhole, just so they didn't get too behind. Wong experienced her early childhood as a comfortable cultural melange. We should all be grateful that Simons has given us this clear, well-researched, and comprehensive biography, and that Wong eventually contributed the personal memories and views that round it out. A member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), she has been a Senator for South Australia since 2002. He said he offered to stand aside for him the day after the federal election when it was clear Farrell would lose his seat. Jay Wilson Weatherill (born 3 April 1964) is an Australian politician who is the 45th and current Premier of South Australia, serving since 21 October 2011. . Penny Wong warns racism and hate speech in parliament threaten democracy, Australians faith in politics has collapsed how can we reimagine democracy? But what are the odds that Penelope Ying-Yen Wong, born in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, on November 5, 1968, would enter this world with a God-given knack for politics? South Australian premier says senator is threat to him the 'very last impression' the Labor party wants to give electorate. (This group was founded and run, incidentally, by fellow arts student and enthusiastic campus Trotskyist David Penberthy, who has since moved to the beating heart of Australian conspicuous consumption - Sydney - where he edits The Daily Telegraph.). In fact, Wong's generation of Adelaide university student politics produced an aberrantly large crop of professional politicians. His blunt statement drew cheers from the audience and an impressed reaction from social media. In 1998 she was selected as the left factions candidate for the Senate ticket. [33], During the 2013 Federal Election, both Liberal and Labor promised that the next round of the country's submarines (12) would be built in South Australia, however after the election it appeared that the Liberal government had arranged to buy just eight submarines directly from Japan. LNP won't give free vote #qanda, #qanda is the major contributor to my premier envy, first Daniel Andrews and now Jay Weatherill. Updated: November 15, 2012 He said that if people choose a different position, "they will have to reflect on that and maybe they need different leadership".

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