be needed to get her staff and department to understand her thoughts and priorities. âIf you can work to get everyone
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Playing to her strengths Story/ Emily McLean
Federal Minister for Finance Penny Wong explains why the most powerful voice in life will always be your own
F
inance minister Penny Wong knows who she is, as well as who she isn’t. “I’m not very funny,” she says – but confidently. And despite a self-acknowledged lack of prowess in comedy, she can certainly lay claim to being one of the country’s most powerful woman in finance. Born in Malaysia in 1968, Ms Wong’s plans to become a doctor were scuppered by the discovery on an overseas trip that she didn’t deal well with blood. Instead, she entered the legal and political world – not without its own share of figurative ‘blood’ – joining the Senate in 2002 and representing South Australia. In September 2010, she took on her current role of Minister for Finance and Deregulation in the Gillard cabinet. THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED As Minister, Ms Wong’s honest and straightforward nature shines through in everything she does. Rather than take a leaf out of other politicians’ books though, she prefers to write her own. “When I was a young lawyer, I remember a
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senior lawyer saying to me, ‘You should look at what other people are doing and at their different techniques, but the most important thing is for you to find your own voice because that will always be the most powerful one’. “I’ve applied this piece of advice to every job I’ve had and in terms of my political work, it’s something I have been very conscious of.” Armed with a strong sense of self, Ms Wong has never been afraid to be exactly that – herself. She is the first openly lesbian member of the cabinet and the first Asian-born federal minister. But being a ‘woman of firsts’ is a label she once resisted. “That’s never how I saw myself and I probably resisted that description for some time because I wanted to be known by what I could do, not by my cultural background or my sexuality,” she says. However, her perspective changed after delivering a speech as a backbencher. “Afterwards, a lot of young Asian women came up to me, who were so excited to have me talk to them, and I realised that what I signified was a different set of possibilities in their life,” she recalls.
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The most important thing about being first in anything is that there will be a second and a third and many more” PENNY WONG
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“It wasn’t about me being first, it was about what that meant for others and how they saw their own potential.” MAKING THE TOUGH CALLS Despite shying away from the ‘firsts’ label in some contexts, there are certainly areas in which she wants to break new ground. “I’d like to keep building the budget surplus and trying to improve the number of women on other governmental boards, and obviously as a finance minister in a central agency you can have an influence on that,” Ms Wong says. But while some would say she has an enviable role, it isn’t without its challenges. “You make hundreds and hundreds of decisions and you have to learn how to make the best ones, but also realise it’s inevitable you’ll make mistakes,” she says. Of course, when responsibilities that will significantly affect your country rest upon your shoulders, a good approach to decisionmaking is a pre-requisite for the job. “The key to good decision-making is asking the right questions,” she says. “I try to test a decision and test my judgement. I will also ask one of my public servants or advisers what they think of the issue and what they think it would mean if such and such happened.” However, Ms Wong admits that when she entered government, she didn’t anticipate just how much personal engagement would be needed to get her staff and department to understand her thoughts and priorities. “If you can work to get everyone on the same page, then things work a lot better – but it takes time,” she says. “You have to talk with people, listen to what they have to say, and understand what the options are, which helps everyone come to a better understanding of what we have to do.” A PRIVATE SIDE Major decisions aside, it’s no surprise that the private Ms Wong attributes the most challenging part of her role to her being a public figure. Nevertheless, she doesn’t ignore questions about her sexuality, family or faith. On the ABC’s Q&A programme a few weeks ago, Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey declared 10
that while he doesn’t believe he and his wife make better parents, he remains opposed to gay marriage. To this, Ms Wong famously replied: “I know what my family is worth”. She credits her family and friends with keeping her grounded, and says she finds cooking on the weekends very relaxing. “Obviously, the food I grew up with is the easiest food to cook but I try to cook a range of foods. I’m not a very good baker though, but Sophie [her partner] is.” A successful politician, with supportive friends and family – does Ms Wong ‘have it all’? Indeed, can women have it all? “No, you can never have it all – every choice has its benefits and its downsides,” she responds in a characteristically level-headed manner. “If I’m really honest with myself, I don’t think I have a good work-life balance, but that’s the nature of the job. I try and make as much time for my family as I can, try not to travel if I can avoid it, and in weeks [when Parliament’s not sitting] I try to get home early on a couple of nights.” While Ms Wong has to make tough calls professionally, she also does it personally. “At different times in your life you have different balances [in terms of time],” she says. “Sometimes it’s your family, sometimes it’s your personal life, sometimes it’s your work life, but we all have to recognise that you do have to make choices – and they are hard, they’re not always easy.” ONE TO WATCH Without the shadow of a doubt, Ms Wong is setting an example both for her peers and for those who aspire to follow in her footsteps. And it is clear she derives deep satisfaction from realising the effect her life is having on others. “The most important thing about being first in anything is that there will be a second and a third and many more,” she says. For Penny Wong, good leadership is about living and breathing a strong sense of self: “You should be the best leader you yourself can be,” she says. “Don’t try to be something you’re not, play to your strengths and recognise your limitations.”
1968 - Born Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Moved to Australia aged eight 1989 -Became a delegate to the South Australian Labor Party State Convention 1992 - Graduated with a Bachelor of Laws with Honours from the University of Adelaide 1995 - Acted as an advisor to the newly-elected NSW state government 1996 - Solicitor at legal firm Duncan and Hannon 2001 - Elected to the Senate for South Australia 2007 - Appointed first Australian Minister for Climate Change and Water 2010 - Appointed Minister for Finance and Deregulation. Australia’s first Asian-born federal minister
