Thérèse Rein is a different kind of PM’s spouse, with her own successful business and identity, but her roles as mother and supportive wife are what she treasures most, writes Michael Sheather.
Thérèse Rein is clearly a very different prime ministerial wife. Never before has the country’s leader been partnered by a woman as independent, energetic or determined as Thérèse Rein. She is a devoted mum who climbs mountains, a self-made multi-millionaire with a moral compass and a PM’s spouse with a purpose. It’s a role that she comes to with a vast array of experience as a mother, a daughter and a wife, and achievements as the founder of a successful business empire that today straddles the globe.
While Thérèse says she is only now beginning to find her feet as Australia’s First Lady, she believes that she can bring her own life experience to bear on a vaguely defined role and navigate a path that will ultimately make a difference to thousands of Australians, particularly the young, the disabled and the disadvantaged.
“There are no rules on how to conduct this job,” says Thérèse, who has three children, Jessica, now 25, married and living in China, Nicholas, 22 and studying law in Brisbane, and Marcus, 16, who is still at school and living at The Lodge in Canberra with his parents. “There’s no instruction manual. All I can do is bring the interests and concerns I’ve developed during a lifetime and those — the ones that are true to me — are the natural interests and concerns that come from being a mother. A lot of my interests are about families and supporting young mums, about inclusion and helping people back on their feet. That is true to me and who I am.”
Thérèse talks about Kevin
..."He was studying Chinese and that was unusual. He explained how he thought the next century would be the China century and that we needed people who understood her culture, history and language. I said, 'You should go into politics, we need people like you.'"
That chat preceded almost two years of intellectual jousting between the pair, reminiscent of the literary sparks that flew between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy.
"We disagreed on everything," recalls Thérèse. "It was on the best traditions of Jane Austen. Actually, it was very Pride and Prejudice. We would get into these heated debates about politics, philosophy, films, the meaning of life. And, eventually, he asked me out. We came from very different backgrounds and yet we were so similar.
Read more in the September issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly, out now with Thérèse Rein on the cover.
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