What Penny Wong says in private is VERY different to what she says in public. Trust me, I know from experience, writes PETER VAN ONSELEN ... Here's the two reasons why she went public with Albo's 'Voice 2.0' READ MORE: Albo in damage control over Voice gaffe By PETER VAN ONSELEN, POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA Published: 01:44 BST, 30 April 2025 | Updated: 01:44 BST, 30 April 2025 Penny Wong has belled the cat on what Labor really wants to do about the Indigenous Voice to parliament. That is, revive the debate and ultimately ensure it becomes a reality in the future. Her comments come despite the PM point blank ruling it out in the final leaders debate. Albo said 'it's gone' on Sunday evening, adding: 'I respect the outcome (of the referendum), we live in a democracy'. Not a lot of wiggle room there. Wong, however, told the Betoota Talks podcast that the PM is 'not a pull the pin kind of guy'. She said 'I think we'll look back on it in 10 years' time and it'll be a bit like marriage equality', which eventually became law via a plebiscite result that was the polar opposite of what happened when Labor put the Voice to a vote and it failed. Where to even start dissecting the political stupidity of Wong's remarks to a podcast often reserved for satirical ideas. She is Labor's senate leader and Albo's closest confidant in the parliament. Any suggestion these are just her thoughts, entirely removed from Albo's, is rubbish. Penny Wong is Anthony Albanese's closest confidant. If Wong thinks the Voice will one day become law, then so does Albo Maybe she thought the podcast wouldn't air until after the election. Maybe she was caught up in the moment and accidentally said what she really thinks. Maybe she was silly enough to somehow think her remarks didn't contradict the PM. Or perhaps her confidence in a Labor election victory is now sky high and arrogance took over. This last option is entirely possible given we are talking about Penny Wong. Her dumb comments are political manna from heaven for Peter Dutton, although it's most likely too little too late to save his campaign. Labor has got this election in the bag and it knows it, hence the slip up by Wong. Wong's delusion in her commentary actually bordered on the satirical. In comparing the likelihood of the Voice becoming a reality to the fight for same sex marriage, she seemingly took credit for gay marriage becoming law in Australia. 'I always used to say, marriage equality, which took us such a bloody fight to get that done and I thought, all this fuss,' she said. 'Get that done'? 'Us'? She didn't get that done, nor did the Labor Party. The Coalition legislated gay marriage under Malcolm Turnbull's prime ministership during its second term in power. Wong on the Betoota Talks podcast that set off a political firestorm on Wednesday And that was only after running a postal survey - strenuously resisted by Labor - which proved that an overwhelming majority of Australians wanted the reform. In the ultimate irony it was actually Peter Dutton who swayed the government that a postal vote was the way to get it over the line. What did Wong ever do in government to achieve same sex marriage? Zero. Nothing when Kevin Rudd was PM, nothing when Julia Gillard took over. Nothing when she was sitting around the cabinet table and had a voice, despite being openly gay herself. Wong chose to climb Labor's greasy pole and keep her mouth shut instead, securing promotions along the way, sticking to the party line that marriage was between a man and a woman rather than stand up for her community. I remember interviewing her on the subject back then and almost having to pick my jaw up off the ground listening to her sell-out words. Her delusion in now trying to take the credit for what was achieved is off the charts. It was a sanctimonious and unjustified claiming of credit for something she should have done when in power but never did. Because it was too politically hard, she thought at the time. Wong kept her mouth shut rather than voice support for same sex marriage when she had power and influence -- now is seemingly claiming credit I remember pleading with her privately to take a stand back then when I was writing opinion piece after opinion piece calling for same sex marriage to become law. Labor only changed its stance, as did Wong, once she was out of government and sitting on the opposition benches. Heroes, one and all! You could almost forgive Wong for putting her career first as a calculated act of political selfishness if she wasn't always standing on the high moral ground when judging others in her public comments. But that's her style. On this occasion the only thing that surprises me about Wong's remarks is that she made them now, not on the other side of the election campaign. I didn't think she was that stupid. Because what she says in private is often very different to the party line she utters publicly. This time she uttered it publicly. Wong knows Albo better than any other MP. They are close. Albo told me for the book I wrote about his 2022 victory that he personally intervened to stop Wong retiring after the 2019 loss when taking over the leadership. The pair are as close as you get in factional Labor politics. Friends and allies. If Wong thinks the Voice will one day become law, then so does Albo ... even if he's smarter than her and won't declare it publicly now. Peter DuttonPenny Wong Share or comment on this article: What Penny Wong says in private is VERY different to what she says in public. Trust me, I know from experience, writes PETER VAN ONSELEN ... 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