Allegra Spender Recognised For Tenacious Work On Tax Reform

Independent MP Allegra Spender was last night named the winner of this year’s McKinnon Prize for Emerging Political Leader for her work on tax reform over the last three years.

Spender launched an 18-month tax review shortly after her election in 2022, which saw the Member for Wentworth consult with more than 100 people from across the community, including businesses, unions, welfare groups and over 1000 Wentworth voters.

The resulting tax “green paper” was released in November 2024, followed by a tax roundtable at Parliament House in July. The paper focused on the cost of living, housing, productivity, and climate, and argued that the country’s reliance on income tax revenue placed younger working Australians in a tough position.

It was the first time since federation that a non-government MP had undertaken a tax review. Following the government’s own economic roundtable earlier this year, treasurer Jim Chalmers indicated future reform, calling the current tax system “imperfect”.

MP emphasises importance of engaging people in democracy

Founded in 2015, The McKinnon Prize recognises outstanding political leadership in an attempt to counterbalance what they believe is a loss of faith in our government system.

The panel praised Spender’s ability to “put her head above the parapet” to advocate for difficult tax reform, as well as her “impressive policy approach, significant and substantial work on tax reform, and her discipline in pursuing a challenging policy agenda.”

Alongside Spender, the Federal Members for Berowra and Macnamara, Julian Leeser and Josh Burns, were named joint recipients of the Federal Political Leadership prize for their efforts in addressing antisemitism in Australia.

The Premier of South Australia, Peter Malinauskas, was also recognised as the State/Territory Political Leader of the Year.

In a post to social media on Friday morning, Spender said it was “a special honour to be recognised for doing something” she loved, and thanked the Wentworth constituents.

“One question I get asked regularly is how do we protect the values of this country against the polarisation and populism growing around the world,” she said.

“Now I am still learning! But what I’ve learnt so far is the importance of engaging people in their democracy (especially those who disagree with you) and trying to deal with the hard issues that really matter.

“That’s why I took on tax reform – because growing prosperity and ensuring everyone feels like they have a stake in the future is the best antidote I have seen to extremism.”