More than 2,700 days: Penny Wong sets new record in cabinet

Penny Wong has made history as Australia's longest-serving female cabinet minister. Here's a look back at her career, and how well-represented women are in federal politics.

Penny Wong has been in federal politics for more than 20 years. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch

Key Points

• Penny Wong is now Australia's longest-serving female cabinet minister.
• Wong overtook the previous record holder, former Liberal senator Amanda Vanstone, on Wednesday.
• Australia's first female cabinet minister wasn't appointed until 1949.

Penny Wong is one of Australia's most trusted politicians.

Now, the Labor senator can add being the longest-serving female cabinet minister in Australian history to her extensive list of achievements.

The 55-year-old gained the title on Wednesday when she marked her 2,769th cumulative day in cabinet — overtaking former Liberal senator Amanda Vanstone's previous record.

When was the first woman appointed to federal cabinet?

In 1902, Australia became the first country in the world to give most women the right to vote and run for federal parliament.

But it wasn't until 1943 that a woman was elected — Tasmania's Enid Lyons in the House of Representatives, and Western Australia's Dorothy Tangney in the Senate.

In 1949, Lyons became the first woman appointed to the federal cabinet — although, at that time, it consisted of all members of the government ministry, rather than the separate, elevated component of the ministry it is today.

Her position as vice-president of the Executive Council was also largely honorary, with Lyons famously remarking: "They only wanted me to pour the tea."

Just 34 (8.3 per cent) of the 410 members of cabinet since Federation have been women.

It wasn't until 1949 that a woman was appointed to cabinet. Source: SBS News

How many women are in federal parliament?

There have been just 269 women elected to federal parliament in Australia's history, according to the Parliamentary Library.

The current parliament has record-high levels of female representation in both houses.

Following the 2022 federal election, 58 seats in the House of Representatives were occupied by women, with another 43 in the Senate.

Source: SBS News

Ten of the 23 members of the Albanese government's cabinet are women, making it the closest in Australian history to achieving gender parity.

Comparatively, Julie Bishop was the only woman appointed to Tony Abbott's 19-member cabinet in 2013.

Abbott also abolished the Minster for Women portfolio, moving its decision-making powers into the Office of Prime Minister and Cabinet, and making Michaelia Cash the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women.