Elected to federal parliament aged just twenty-eight, Tanya Plibersek has lived almost half her life in the public eye, and is the longest-serving woman in Australia’s House of Representatives. But how much do we know about what drives her, what she values, and what we can expect from her next?

Plibersek was born in Sydney to Slovenian parents, both of whom fled post-war Europe as young adults. Their experiences as migrants would profoundly shape the lives of their children. Driven by a commitment to equity and social change, Plibersek joined the Labor Party at a time of intense factional battles for the party’s future and emerged as part of a new generation of ALP leaders. Throughout her career she has campaigned for social justice reform on issues such as paid parental leave, violence against women and rights for same-sex couples.

Award-winning journalist Margaret Simons draws on exclusive interviews with Plibersek, her political contemporaries, family and close friends to trace the personal and political strands of this modern Australian story. She considers Plibersek’s role in the Rudd and Gillard governments, Labor’s soul-searching years in opposition and Plibersek’s position in the Albanese cabinet. She also sheds light on the personal currents that have carried Plibersek, through moments of joy and tragedy, to become the person she is today.