Penny Wong

by Simons, Margaret;

  27Penny Wong, ‘Star Wars epic pales into insignificance’, Media release, 24 May 2007.

  28Darrell Giles, ‘Who does he think he is – Linda Evangelista? Our $10,000-a-day pollie’, Sunday Mail, 10 June 2007.

  29Penny Wong, ‘Questions without notice’, Senate Hansard, 14 June 2007, p. 89.

  30Anthony Albanese, ‘Censure of the prime minister’, House Hansard, 14 June 2007, p. 88.

  31Tony Wright, ‘Team Rudd’, The Age, 18 August 2007.

  32Barrie Cassidy, ‘Barrie Cassidy talks to Penny Wong’, Insiders, ABC-TV, 25 November 2007.

  33Paul Kelly, Triumph and Demise: The Broken Promise of a Labor Generation, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 2014, p. 108.

  34Lindsay Tanner and Penny Wong, ‘Cleaning up government’, Media release, 8 August 2007.

  35Penny Wong, ‘Labor’s approach to the Australian public service’, Speech to the Institute of Public Administration Australia (ACT Division), Ainslie Football Club, 20 September 2007.

  36Penny Wong, ‘Tony Jones talks to Labor’s Penny Wong and Liberal Andrew Robb’, Lateline, ABC-TV, 21 November 2007.

  37No author, ‘Musa welcomes appointment of Saban-born Wong to Australian Cabinet’, Bernama Daily Malaysian News, 30 November 2007.

  38Nick Squires, ‘Rudd reveals his right on government’, Daily Telegraph, 30 November 2007.

  39Annabel Crabb, ‘Sit right back and you’ll hear a tale of a fearless crew’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 4 December 2007.

  40Mungo MacCallum, no title, Crikey, 3 December 2007.

  41Mia Handshin and Miles Kemp, ‘Minister for saving the world’, The Advertiser, 23 February 2008, p. 7.

  9: PENNY WONG FAILS TO SAVE THE WORLD (PART 1)

  1Paul Kelly, Triumph and Demise, p. 497.

  2Rodney Tiffen, Disposable Leaders: Media and Leadership Coups from Menzies to Abbott, NewSouth, Sydney, 2014, p. 49.

  3Paul Kelly, Triumph and Demise, p. 498.

  4ibid.; Julia Gillard, My Story; Kevin Rudd, The PM Years; Wayne Swan, The Good Fight: Six Years, Two Prime Ministers and Staring Down the Great Recession, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2014; Greg Combet and Mark Davis, The Fights of My Life, Melbourne University Publishing, Melbourne, 2014; Tony Windsor, Windsor’s Way, Melbourne University Publishing, Melbourne, 2016; Rob Oakeshott, The Independent Member for Lyne: A Memoir, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2014; Sarah Ferguson and Patricia Drum, The Killing Season Uncut, Melbourne University Publishing, Melbourne, 2016; Patrick Weller, Kevin Rudd: Twice Prime Minister, Melbourne University Publishing, Melbourne, 2014; Christine Milne, An Activist Life, University of Queensland Press, Brisbane, 2017; Craig Emerson, The Boy from Barcaldine, Scribe Publications, Melbourne, 2018; Maxine McKew, Tales from the Political Trenches, Melbourne University Publishing, Melbourne, 2013; Bob Carr, Diary of a Foreign Minister, NewSouth, Sydney, 2014; Rodney Tiffen, Disposable Leaders; Philip Chubb, Power Failure: The Inside Story of Climate Politics under Rudd and Gillard, Black Inc., Melbourne, 2014.

  5Quoted in Paul Connolly, ‘Penny Wong’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 April 2011.

  6Patrick Weller, Kevin Rudd, p. 148.

  7ibid., p. 151.

  8Bret Walker SC, Commissioner, ‘The Murray–Darling Basin royal commission report’, South Australia, 29 January 2019.

  9‘Pumped’, Four Corners, ABC-TV, 24 July 2017. A useful summary is contained in Maryanne Slattery and Rod Campbell, The Basin Files: Maladministration of the Murray–Darling Basin Plan: Volume I, The Australia Institute, Canberra, June 2018.

  10Kathy Marks, ‘… As it dries up down under’, The Independent, 22 June 2008 and AAP News, ‘Fed. govt holds back advice on Murray lakes’, Australian Associated Press, 1 September 2008.

  11Mark Kenny and Greg Kelton, ‘No easy Murray options’, The Advertiser, 3 September 2008, p. 1.

  12Penelope Debelle, ‘Xenophon insists water be found’, The Age, 11 August 2008, p. 4.

  13Bret Walker SC, ‘The Murray–Darling Basin royal commission report’, p. 22.

  14ibid., p. 17.

  15Australian Labor Party, ‘Labor’s national plan to tackle the water crisis’, Election 2007 Policy Document, November 2007.

  16No author, ‘Water buyback details outlined’, ABC News, 26 February 2008.

  17Dean Jaensch, ‘Morals washed away as states battle for water’, The Advertiser, 12 March 2008, p. 18.

  18Greg Kelton, ‘Dead in the water – last-minute manoeuvres that revived the Murray Deal’, The Advertiser, 29 March 2008, p. 19.

  19ibid.

  20ibid.

  21Greg Kelton and Kim Wheatley, ‘Dear SA: you were right but it took an extra billion dollars’, The Advertiser, Metro, 27 March 2008, p. 1.

  22Kim Wheatley, ‘Water rats: desperate farmers steal from Murray’, The Advertiser, 30 June 2008, p. 1.

  23Productivity Commission, ‘Market mechanisms for recovering water in the Murray–Darling Basin’, Research report, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, RCE 496, March 2010; Gavan Dwyer, Matthew Clarke and Rod Carr, ‘Economic effects of the Commonwealth water recovery programs in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area: final report prepared for the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources’, Marsden Jacob Associates, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, RCE 56, October 2017; Australian National Audit Office, ‘Administration of the private irrigation infrastructure operators program in New South Wales’, ANAO Audit Report No. 38 2011–12, 5 June 2012; Victorian Auditor-General’s Report, ‘Irrigation efficiency programs’, PP no. 313, session 2006–10, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, June 2010; Bret Walker SC, ‘The Murray–Darling Basin royal commission report’.

  24CSIRO, ‘Assessment of the ecological and economic benefits of environmental water in the Murray–Darling Basin: the final report to the Murray–Darling Basin Authority from the CSIRO’, CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country National Research Flagship, Commonwealth of Australia and CSIRO, Australia, RCE 16, 28 March 2012; Productivity Commission, ‘Murray–Darling Basin Plan: five-year assessment’, Draft report, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, RCE 539, August 2018; Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (Cth), ‘Murray–Darling Basin water infrastructure program’, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, RCE 1015, 29 November 2018; Bret Walker SC, ‘The Murray–Darling Basin royal commission report’.

  25Penny Wong, ‘Water for the future’, Speech to the Fourth Annual Australian Water Summit, Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, 29–30 April 2008.

  26Bret Walker SC, ‘The Murray–Darling Basin royal commission report.’

  27‘Commonwealth water recovering in the Murray–Darling Basin (as at 30 November 2018)’, provided to the author by Penny Wong’s office and compiled at her request by the Parliamentary Library, Canberra.

  28No author, ‘Toorale deal won’t help the lower lakes’, ABC News, 11 September 2008.

  29Australian National Audit Office, Restoring the balance in the Murray–Darling Basin, Auditor-General Audit Report No. 27 2010–11 Performance Audit, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, 10 February 2011.

  30Productivity Commission, National Water Reform, Productivity Commission Inquiry Report No. 87, 19 December 2017.

  31‘Commonwealth water recovering in the Murray–Darling Basin’.

  32The Australia Institute, Moving Targets, Canberra, 2018, and The Australia Institute, That’s Not How You Haggle, Canberra, 2018.

  33Anne Davies, ‘Questions over companies chosen for $200m of Murray–Darling water buybacks’, The Guardian, 17 April 2019.

  34Sam Clench, ‘Let me answer: Trioli’s merciless grilling’, news.com.au, 23 April 2019.

  35Verity Edwards, ‘Tough Murray water plan to hit irrigators’, The Australian, 21 May 2010, p. 2.

  36Bret Walker SC, ‘The Murray–Darling Basin royal commission report’, p. 172.

  37ibid.

  38ibid., p. 216.

  39Colin Bettles, ‘Reflections of a basin peacemaker’, Farm Online, 25 January 2015.

  40Ian Jones, ‘MDBA visit hijacked by �
�bastardry”’, Goondiwindi Argus, 8 February 2018.

  41Rachel Baxendale, ‘Murray–Darling Basin Plan under threat’, The Australian, 13 February 2018 and Tory Shepherd, ‘Murray Plan in jeopardy’, The Advertiser, 15 February 2018, p. 1.

  42Bret Walker SC, ‘The Murray–Darling Basin royal commission report’, p. 409.

  43ibid.

  44Natalie Kotsios and Tory Shepherd, ‘SA Water Minister Ian Hunter in foul-mouthed tirade at fellow politicians’, Adelaide Now, 18 November 2016.

  45Penny Wong and Tony Burke, ‘Labor to repeal the 1500GL cap on buybacks in the Murray–Darling Basin’, Media release, 13 February 2019.

  46Rosie Lewis, ‘New water minister makes the Murray–Darling a priority’, The Australian, 28 May 2019.

  10: PENNY WONG FAILS TO SAVE THE WORLD (PART 2)

  1Julia Gillard, My Story; Kevin Rudd, The PM Years; Wayne Swan, The Good Fight; Greg Combet and Mark Davis, The Fights of My Life; Christine Milne, An Activist Life.

  2Sarah Ferguson and Patricia Drum, The Killing Season Uncut; Philip Chubb, Power Failure; Paul Kelly, Triumph and Demise.

  3Mark Butler, Climate Wars, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 2017.

  4Kevin Rudd, ‘Speech at the high-level segment of the 13th conference of the parties’, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Bali, Indonesia, 12 December 2007.

  5Kevin Rudd, The PM Years, p. 14.

  6Matthew Warren, ‘Wong rewards leaders’ faith’, The Australian, 12 December 2007.

  7No author, ‘Workaholic Wong just the ticket as a climate crusader’, The Canberra Times, 12 December 2007.

  8Glenn Milne, ‘Wong takes centre stage’, The Sunday Times, 16 December 2007.

  9Penny Wong, ‘From Copenhagen to Paris: climate change and the limits of rationality, multilateralism, and leadership’, Brown Journal of World Affairs, vol. XXII, no. 1, Spring/Summer 2015, p. 268.

  10Julia Gillard, My Story, p. 369.

  11This anecdote is taken from Kevin Rudd, The PM Years, pp. 259–60.

  12Penny Wong, ‘Water for the future’.

  13Ian Bailey, Iain MacGill, Rob Passey and Hugh Compston, ‘The fall (and rise) of carbon pricing in Australia: a political strategy analysis of the carbon pollution reduction scheme’, Environmental Politics, vol. 21, no. 5, 2012, pp. 691–711.

  14Paul Kelly, Triumph and Demise, p. 197.

  15Josh Gordon, ‘Can Wong avert carbon-fuelled train wreck?’ The Sunday Age, 6 July 2008.

  16Ross Garnaut, ‘Australia counts itself out’, The Australian, 20 December 2008, p. 21.

  17Mark Butler, Climate Wars.

  18Paul Kelly, Triumph and Demise, p. 242.

  19ibid., Chapter 16.

  20David Marr, Power Trip: The Political Journey of Kevin Rudd, Quarterly Essay 38, 2010.

  21ibid.

  22Kevin Rudd, The PM Years, p. 220.

  23ibid., p. 222 ff.

  24ibid., Chapter 18.

  25ibid., p. 227.

  26Cathy Alexander, ‘Climate change summit disappoints Wong’, AAP, 20 December 2009.

  27See Philip Chubb, Power Failure; Paul Kelly, Triumph and Demise; Greg Combet and Mark Davis, The Fights of My Life; Wayne Swan, The Good Fight; Julia Gillard, My Story.

  28Paul Kelly, Triumph and Demise, p. 279 ff.

  29ibid., p. 282.

  30No author, ‘Carbon tax plan aims to break ETS deadlock’, The West Australian, 14 April 2010, p. 10.

  31Christine Milne, An Activist Life, pp. 187–88.

  32Paddy Manning, Inside the Greens: The Origins and Future of the Party, the People and the Politics, Black Inc., Melbourne, 2019, p. 274.

  33Lenore Taylor, ‘ETS off the agenda until late next term’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 27 April 2010, p. 1.

  34Kevin Rudd, The PM Years, p. 262 ff.

  35Julia Gillard, My Story; Kevin Rudd, The PM Years; Paul Kelly, Triumph and Demise; Sarah Ferguson and Patricia Drum,The Killing Season Uncut.

  36Tom Arup, ‘ETS needs consensus: Wong’, The Age, 18 June 2010, p. 7.

  37‘No leadership revolt against Rudd’, AAP, 19 June 2010.

  38Kevin Rudd, The PM Years, p. 259.

  39Julia Gillard, My Story, p. 369.

  40Kevin Rudd, The PM Years, p. 317.

  41Julia Gillard, My Story, p. 69.

  42Michael Owen, ‘Greens at odds with Wong on climate change’, The Australian, 8 September 2010, p. 4.

  43No author, ‘Wong tipped to move on from climate’, AAP, 8 September 2010.

  44Christine Milne, An Activist Life, and interview with the author.

  45Greg Combet and Mark Davis, The Fights of My Life, p. 248.

  46Mark Butler, Climate Wars, pp. 28–29.

  47Greg Combet and Mark Davis, The Fights of My Life, pp. 257–58.

  48Julia Gillard, My Story, p. 368.

  49Ian Bailey, Iain MacGill, Rob Passey and Hugh Compston, ‘The fall (and rise) of carbon pricing in Australia’, pp. 691–711. This view is also advanced by some of the senior bureaucrats who served in the Department of Climate Change.

  50No author, ‘Carbon tax: a timeline of its tortuous history in Australia’, ABC News, updated 17 July 2014.

  51Philip Chubb, Power Failure.

  52Michael Shmith, ‘A man of plain words’, The Age, 3 October 2009, p. 10, and Jonathan Holmes, ‘Journalists weather the changing climate’, ABC News, 11 February 2010.

  11: A WOMAN OF GOVERNMENT

  1Penny Wong, John Button Memorial Lecture 2010, Melbourne, 9 November 2010.

  2Media Monitors quoting from Meet the Press, Channel Ten, 25 July 2010. and No author, ‘Wong backs Labor’s anti-gay marriage stance’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 25 July 2010.

  3Patricia Karvelas, ‘Gays call Wong a hypocrite’, The Australian, 26 July 2010.

  4No author, ‘Wong horrifies Brown on gay call’, AAP, 26 July 2010.

  5Mark Kenny, ‘Rudd backed gay vote’, Daily Telegraph, 17 November 2010.

  6Andrea Hayward, ‘Labor MPs support change: Wong’s gay win’, Geelong Advertiser, 29 November 2010, p. 2.

  7Penny Wong, ‘Speech to the South Australian Labor Convention’, 27 November 2010.

  8Jeremy Thompson, ‘Wong, partner expecting first child’, ABC News, 9 August 2011.

  9Peter Jean, ‘Mixed views on Wong baby news’, The Canberra Times, 10 August 2011, p. 3.

  10ibid.

  11No author, ‘Wong, gay partner expecting baby’, ABC News, 14 August 2011.

  12Jihad el-Khazen, ‘Ayoon wa Azan’, Al-Hayat, 14 August 2011, p. 20.

  13Miranda Devine, ‘Pregnancy of Penny Wong’s partner no cause for mass celebration’, Daily Telegraph, 14 August 2011.

  14Tom Ballard, ‘Miranda Devine: What the f&*k are you talking about?’, YouTube, 14 August 2011.

  15Penny Wong, Interview with Leigh Sales, 7.30, ABC-TV, 15 August 2011.

  16Michelle Grattan, ‘Pincer move on Gillard over gay marriage’, The Age, 1 December 2011, p. 1.

  17Quoted in no author, ‘What they said’, The Sunday Age, 4 December 2011, p. 5.

  18Quoted in Graham Richardson, ‘A little democracy goes a long way when you are managing a party’, The Australian, 6 December 2011, p. 12.

  19Penny Wong, ‘Address to ALP National Conference’, Sydney, 3 December 2011.

  20Matthew Franklin, ‘Wake-up call that drove PM towards tactical switch’, The Australian, 5 December 2011, p. 8.

  21ibid.

  22Graham Richardson, ‘A little democracy goes a long way’.

  23Deirdre McKeown, ‘Chronology of same-sex marriage bills introduced into the federal parliament’.

  24ibid.

  25Penny Wong, ‘Penny Wong talks of her support for equality in marriage’, Lateline, ABC-TV, 18 September 2012.

  26Penny Wong, Q&A, ABC-TV, 14 May 2012.

  27Dennis Altman, ‘Penny Wong, Joe Hockey and the dire state of political punditry’, The Conversation, 15 May 2012.

  28Kevin Rudd, The PM Years, p. 490 and Julia Gil
lard, My Story, p. 86.

  29Michael Rowland, ‘Australian government news: finance minister Wong speaks on media, minerals, resource rent tax, economy and Fair Work Australia’, News Breakfast, ABC-TV, 1 February 2012.

  30No author, ‘Gillard has my full support: Wong’, AAP, 4 February 2012.

  31Matt Buchanan and Scott Ellis, ‘The diary’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 9 February 2012, p. 22.

  32Dennis Atkins, ‘Wong a steady hand in unsteady ship of state’, The Courier-Mail, 17 February 2012, p. 59.

  33Julia Gillard, My Story, p. 86 and Kevin Rudd, The PM Years, pp. 493–95.

  34Michael Rowland, ‘Australian government news: finance minister Wong talks about leadership issues with ABC 891’, News Breakfast, ABC Radio, 23 February 2012.

  35No author, ‘Wong says Rudd must rule out second tilt’, AAP, 24 February 2012.

  36Tony Jones, Lateline, ABC-TV, 2 July 2013.

  37Michael Koziol, ‘Penny Wong calls for unity as she backs Anthony Albanese for Labor leadership’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 22 May 2018.

  38Kevin Rudd, The PM Years; Wayne Swan, The Good Fight, 2014; Paul Kelly, Triumph and Demise.

  39Paul Kelly, Triumph and Demise, pp. 295ff.

  40Julia Gillard, My Story; Kevin Rudd, The PM Years; Wayne Swan, The Good Fight; Paul Kelly, Triumph and Demise, pp. 279 ff.

  41Wayne Swan, The Good Fight, p. 277.

  42Paul Kelly, Triumph and Demise.

  43Penny Wong, ‘Finance minister delves into mining tax and budget talk’, 7.30, ABC-TV, 13 March 2012.

  44Penny Wong, ‘Penny Wong defends ditching the budget surplus’, 7.30, ABC-TV, 20 December 2012.

  45Penny Wong, ‘Finance minister Penny Wong discusses the budget’, Lateline, ABC-TV, 14 May 2013.

  46No author, ‘Labor factions at odds over SA Senate’, AAP, 29 October 2012.

  47ibid.

  48No author, ‘Penny Wong to lead Labor’s SA Senate ticket after Don Farrell gives up spot’, AAP, 30 October 2012.

  49Simon Benson, ‘Who’s running: former PM wants backing of senior ministers’, Herald Sun, 17 June 2013, p. 2.

  50Julia Gillard, My Story, p. 369.

  51Mary Delahunty, Gravity: Inside the PM’s Office During Her Last Year and Final Days, Hardie Grant, Melbourne, 2014.

  52Mark Kenny and Jessica Wright, ‘Labor in crisis: Gillard on back foot after ministers quit’, Sun Herald, 3 February 2013, p. 8.