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Australia’s next ‘first lady’ and former Sydney Lord Mayor Lucy Turnbull.
THE Turnbulls have been described as Australia’s answer to the Clintons with the country’s new ‘first lady’ unlikely to be overshadowed during her husband’s term as prime minister.
Power couple Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull married in 1980 and went on to develop successful careers, building combined wealth and securing a home at one of Australia’s most exclusive addresses — in a waterfront mansion on Wolseley Rd, Point Piper.
But it’s not the prime minister who has previously been known as the breadwinner of his family, which also consists of the couple’s adult children Alex and Daisy.
And the power couple at a fundraiser in 1999. Picture: Mark BradleySource:News Corp Australia
Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull in 1982 with son Alex. Picture: Bob FinlaysonSource:News Limited
Ms Turnbull was the first female Lord Mayor of Sydney who was made an Officer of the order of Australia for distinguished service to the community and is said to have amassed a fortune as a leading businesswoman and lawyer.
Mr Turnbull has previously said the couple was “very much a team … she supports me in my work and I support her in hersâ€.
Mr Turnbull last year told the Australian Women’s Weekly his wife was “one of those people who light up every room she entersâ€.
“It is almost impossible for me to imagine, let alone remember, what it was like not to be together — so much so that I have a much clearer sense of ‘Lucy and me’ than I do of ‘me’,†he said.
Mrs Turnbull said she never saw herself as “an appendageâ€.
Lucy Turnbull in 1999 at the launch of her book Sydney: Biography of a City. Picture: Matthew MunroSource:News Corp Australia
Today she will take the batten from Margie Abbott, wife of outgoing Prime Minister Tony Abbott, as Australia’s first lady.
Ms Turnbull is a seasoned public figure who sits on the boards of the US Studies Centre, the board for the Centre for Independent Studies, Australian Technology Park, the Biennale of Sydney, the Redfern Waterloo Authority and the Turnbull Foundation.
She reportedly obtained a law degree from the Sydney University, and a MBA from the University of New South Wales.
Ms Abbott, is a former teacher and journalist who earlier this year told the Women’s Weekly about her struggles as first lady, an unenviable job that can come with as much scrutiny as Australia’s top job.
Ms Abbott reportedly said the role of first lady was not one she relished.
She has been credited as a strong community advocate during her time in the public sphere.
She presented ‘Designing Cities For Women’ at a TEDx event in 2014. Picture: John AppleyardSource:News Corp Australia
Public speaking is commonplace for the former Sydney Lord Mayor. Picture: Tim MarsdenSource:News Corp Australia