Foreign Minister Penny Wong tied the knot with her long-time partner Sophie Allouache in Adelaide on Saturday, in front of friends, family and Labor colleagues, including the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his fiancée Jodie Haydon.
On her socials, Senator Wong published a photo of the pair from their wedding at the Bird in Hand winery at Woodside in the Adelaide Hills, accompanied by the caption: “We are delighted that so many of our family and friends could share this special day with us.”
According to various media sources, the couple’s two daughters, 12 and 8, were flower girls on the day.
Senator Wong received a flood of congratulatory online messages for her photo, including Federal Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, who wrote, “You both look absolutely gorgeous.”
Australian Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil wrote, “Huge congrats to you both,” while South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas wrote, “I’m happy for them and I hope they had a thoroughly enjoyable day.”
Opposition Senate leader Simon Birmingham sent his blessings to the couple on Senator Wong’s Facebook post.
“May their commitment to one another see them enjoy a lifetime together filled with love & happiness, along with additional strength in times of adversity,” he wrote.
Senator Wong and Allouache met in 2007 when Wong was working under Kevin Rudd’s government as Minister for Climate Change. At the time, she was the first openly LGBTQI+ woman in the cabinet.
She first entered federal parliament in 2002, after winning a seat in the South Australian Senate at the 2001 election. She recently became the country’s longest-serving female cabinet minister.
In 2010, Senator Wong had initally publicly opposed same-sex marriage.
Several years later, she delivered an impassioned speech, opposing the government’s plans for the marriage plebiscite, calling it a “stunt”.
“Let me say, for many children in same-sex couple families and for many young LGBTI kids, this ain’t a respectful debate already,” she said in 2017.
Later, she went on to make an emotional speech in the Senate, announcing her support of Senator Dean Smith’s Bill to legalise same-sex marriage.
“For those of us fighting for our own equality, this has been a deeply personal debate, as I demonstrated quite publicly yesterday,” she said.
After Australia voted in favour of same-sex marriage, Senator Wong’s emotional reaction was captured and shared around the world. She admitted to reporters later that week she was “just sort of trying to get over the somewhat embarrassed feeling of having cried in front of the entire country”.
“It is overwhelming, isn’t it?” Senator Wong said. “I mean, by that stage I thought we were probably going to win, although you always worry.”
“There’s a lot of pent-up emotion and, you know, the relief and joy actually, that the Australian people had affirmed us and our family, and made such a strong statement about equality and fairness. It was actually really moving.”
Image: Cath Leo/Instagram