Australia has spoken – and Anthony Albanese will officially be the country's 31st Prime Minister. Video / Nine Network
Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong has surprised followers by revealing she speaks fluent Indonesian.
Senator Wong touched down in Jakarta with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday night and shared a short video online announcing their first official visit.
Most impressively, she delivered the 52-second clip in fluent Indonesian.
"Asone of our closest neighbours and friends, Australia's relationship with Indonesia is one of our most important," she said.
"Prime Minister Albanese and I look forward to meeting with our partners to strengthen the relationship between our two countries."
"OMG! A Foreign Affairs Minister who has something more than just a fancy title! We might even be able to earn back some respect!" wrote one Twitter user.
"Wow. A class act," shared another.
"How impressive – Australia's Foreign Minister speaks Bahasa to introduce her colleagues in Indonesia," wrote another.
Wong was born in the Malaysian state of Sabah (which is located in Borneo) and emigrated to Australia with her family in 1976 at the age of 8.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Photo / Getty Images
While Malay is the official language of Sabah, it's not publicly documented if she speaks other languages.
Wong became the Minister for Foreign Affairs in 2022 after Albanese won the Australian Federal election. Previous to that, she was the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, while Marise Payne held the role.
Currently she and Albanese are in Jakarta, Indonesia, ahead of the G20 Summit in Bali.
Prior to leaving for Indonesia, Albanese spoke of the importance of strengthening relations with Indonesia and its president, Joko Widodo.
"(I'm) looking forward to continuing our discussions about the ongoing partnership between our nations, including revitalising our trade relationship," Albanese said.
He also shared a terse message directed at Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Joko Widodo with Anthony Albanese after riding bicycles during his official visit to Bogor State Palace, West Java Province. Photo / Getty Images
"Of course it's the case that people who respect human rights would feel uncomfortable with sitting around the table with Vladimir Putin," he continued.
"Vladimir Putin, of course, attended the G20 meeting in Australia after the downing of the airline that led to – that resulted in the death of so many Australians and other international citizens.
"We have no time for what Vladimir Putin has done in Ukraine. We've made our position very, very clear on that and we'll continue to do so."
