She's the South Australian senator who keeps her private life private.
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But as debate about same-sex marriage in Australia heats up, senator Penny Wong delivered a blunt message for the government's Senate leader Eric Abetz: "Memo to Eric: we've already got children, all you are doing is saying the parents can't be married."
A clearly angry Senator Wong, who rarely discusses her life with her two young daughters and partner Sophie Allouache, took aim at Coalition MPs who have argued against same-sex marriage on the basis that children should be raised in a marriage between a man and a woman.
"I find it sad that senior politicians in this country seem to want to tell my children and children of other same-sex couples that somehow they are not normal," Senator Wong told ABC radio on Monday.
"Why have a politician continuing to articulate those views, which are really about division, in this debate simply because he doesn't want marriage equality? We know same-sex couples have children now. All that debate is, is saying their parents can't be married."
At the same time, Senator Abetz offered another reason in defence of traditional marriage, linking the need for greater numbers of women on corporate boards with the need for children to have male and female role models.
Senator Wong also labelled Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce's warning that Asia would regard Australia as "decadent" as "one of the more inventive excuses I have heard from those who are opposing marriage equality in Australia".
"These are people in search of an argument because they know that the heart of their argument is no longer accepted by most of the Australian community," Senator Wong said.
In an interview with ABC radio in Hobart Senator Abetz, who last week called on any minister who did not back the current Liberal Party stance that marriage is between a man and a woman to resign, said " that the best start in life for children is with their biological parent, with a mum and dad role model".
" But why you would deliberately seek to set up a situation where a child would be denied the security of their natural biological parents and the diversity of a male and female role model is something that no one has explained to me," he said.
Senator Abetz said a renewed push for an equal number of men and women on corporate boards was "great" and drew a parallel to the need for kids to have a male and female role model.
"Women provide a different perspective to men, and having the diversity and the different approaches of men and women on boards helps to create a better culture for that business," he said.
"Yet somehow, the diversity of men and women is not necessary in socialising the next generation? I don't think so."
He also accused sections of the media of putting words in his mouth after he suggested last week that Australia should not legalise gay marriage because no Asian country had done so.
" What I did say is that there has been a lot of clamour in recent times that we are part of Asia, that we should be changing our cultural mores more towards Asia and I just said in the context of that, it is interesting that no Asian country has adopted these measures," he said.
Coalition divisions over the issue of same-sex marriage erupted last week after it emerged a marriage equality bill moved by Liberal MP Warren Entsch, seconded by Labor MP Terri Butler and backed by a multi-party grouping, will be introduced when Parliament resumes in August.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has slapped down moves to introduce the controversial social reform, amid calls for cabinet ministers who do not back current Liberal policy, which defines marriage as solely between a man and woman, to quit.
