11/04/2025
It was incredibly inspiring to hear from Penny Wong - Senator for SA, on current topics and, most importantly, to hear her share briefly what prompted her to pursue a career in politics and become a powerful and influential female leader of Asian heritage.
Brief facts about Senator Penny Wong:
- she began her political career about 24 years ago, in 2001, when she was elected as a Senator for South Australia
- she made history in 2007 by becoming the first Asian-born member of an Australian Cabinet, serving as Minister for Climate Change and Water
- she has been the Leader of the Government in the Senate since 1 June 2022. Before that, she was the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate from 2013 to 2022, making her the first woman to hold both positions
- she has been serving as Minister for Foreign Affairs since 23 May 2022
Born in Malaysia and having started her career as a lawyer in Australia, Senator Wong’s journey resonates deeply with me as a fellow Australian-Malaysian female lawyer.
In my early days practising as a litigation lawyer in Australia, I often felt marginalised—being female, Asian, and young came with its own set of challenges. In family law litigation especially, I sometimes still find myself the only Chinese-speaking lawyer in court. But over the past 11 years of hard work and perseverance, I’ve gained much more confidence and strength in my role💪
🙏Thank you again to Lewis Lee Oam, Julie-Ann Campbell - Labor for Moreton, and Senator Wong for the enriching discussion—and of course, a special thanks to 'Lewispedia' Lewis, whose perfect memory continues to amaze us all! I’m also grateful to everyone else for their participation, thoughtful questions, and warm companionship😉 it's a wonderful learning experience for me as a junior leader.
I was also honoured to briefly share my thoughts and introduce the Australian Asian Women’s Organisation AAWO 澳亞婦女協會 at the luncheon. I hope that one day I can grow to be a more thoughtful, inspiring, and caring leader—just like Senator Wong 🫡💪
