It’s been twice as hard for Penny Wong to get to where she is today. Not only is she the first Asian-born female in the Australian parliament, she’s the first openly lesbian one too.

Malaysian-born Wong is one of the fastest-rising stars in Australian politics. Arriving in Australia as a child in 1977, she admits it was initially very difficult to adapt. “It was a hard time,” said Wong in her maiden speech to Parliament, “To leave a familiar place and come somewhere where you and your family were seen as so different. Racial abuse was not unusual.”

A woman in a man’s world - and a lesbian in an extremely heterosexual workplace – Wong represents South Australia in the Senate as a member of the Labor party. She has been a vocal critic of PM John Howard’s ban on same-sex marriages, not something that’s easy to do when it means going against the grain of your very own party.

Wong has been open about her sexuality since August 2002, and sees it as a positive step that it’s not much of an issue in her home town of Adelaide. “It seems that public figures are becoming more prepared to be open about their sexuality,” Wong told the Sydney Star Observer in 2003. “This demonstrates an increased confidence in the community that people can be openly lesbian or gay and still be successful in their chosen field – a credit to years of advocacy by very brave people. That advocacy has enabled many lesbian and gay public figures to focus on their chosen fields, rather than automatically becoming spokespeople on sexuality issues. I believe this reflects maturity, diversity and strength among the lesbian and gay community.”

Before entering parliament, Wong was a barrister and lawyer in Adelaide and worked as an adviser to the Bob Carr in Sydney.

Wong’s influence is far-reaching. Representing South Australia she is the Shadow Minister for Employment and Workforce Participation, and the Shadow Minister for Corporate Governance and Responsibility. As a role model for immigrants and the gay and lesbian community, she has reached the highest levels of her profession and dignity, integrity and respect are always high on her agenda with everything that she does.

By Tim Duggan