Penny Wong

Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs: Thanks very much for being here. I hope everyone's had an interesting morning.

And I think it is one of the strengths Australia has that we’ve insufficiently – it’s one of the strengths of who Australia is, and we should tell that story in the region more. Minister for Foreign Affairs: I think the juk we had this morning. I think it matters that Australia speaks to Southeast Asia in a way that recognises that we are part of this region and that our futures are shared. The first point I’d make is that the South China Sea – the first point I’d make is that international law, international law norms, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,: these principles matter. I think it is a wonderful thing for people from different cultures to share experiences. Minister for Foreign Affairs: I think Sabah is a very multicultural place also, yes? And what I’m really pleased about is that I think that the way in which we’ve been received – me and my delegation – has been really warm and hospitable. Minister for Foreign Affairs: Obviously having a Foreign Minister who’s Sabahan by birth and is from East Malaysia – we hope that there will be more links. And that’s a really important part of the Australian story. Minister for Foreign Affairs: Yes, that’s been raised with me, as you would expect, by people in Malaysia, and I understand we’re working through the backlog. We’ve got people like my father and many, many other Malaysians who studied in Australia. We still have lots of Malaysians studying in Australia. So we have strong people-to-people links, and what the Foreign Ministers and members of the government, members of the media and the community can do is continue to build that relationship. It’s been a really wonderful thing to come back to Kota Kinabalu. And, as I said last night, I hope that my personal story can contribute to the relationship but, more importantly, what I want to emphasise is that it’s not only my story.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has refused to weigh in on Malaysia's laws surrounding same sex relationships during a press conference in the town where she ...

“We are a multicultural and diverse nation. To my colleagues and all those who fought for this great outcome, thank you.— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) pic.twitter.com/g8gaQJtzyC November 15, 2017 New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Stream more on politics with Flash. 25+ news channels in 1 place. Foreign Minister Penny Wong was asked if she had any advice for Malaysians in same sex relationships during a press conference in the town where she was born. Foreign Minister Penny Wong has refused to weigh in on Malaysia’s laws surrounding same sex relationships during a press conference in the town where she was born.