Allegra Spender
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Allegra Spender (born 10 March 1978) is an Australian politician and businesswoman. She is currently the member of parliament for Wentworth, having originally won the seat at the
2022 Australian federal election The 2022 Australian federal election was held on Saturday, 21 May 2022, to elect members of the 47th Parliament of Australia. The incumbent Morrison government, Liberal–National Coalition government, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, soug ...
. She is one of a number of centrist community independents (sometimes described as " teal independents" by the media) who won election on a platform of action on
climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
, economic reform, political integrity, and
gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...
. She is the third generation of her family to sit in federal parliament, after her grandfather Sir Percy Spender and father
John Spender John Michael Spender (2 December 1935 – 13 October 2022) was an Australian politician, diplomat and barrister. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1980 to 1990, representing the Liberal Party, and was a shadow minister under ...
. She was a
management consultant Management consulting is the practice of providing consulting services to organizations to improve their performance or in any way to assist in achieving organizational objectives. Organizations may draw upon the services of management consultant ...
at
McKinsey & Company McKinsey & Company (informally McKinsey or McK) is an American multinational strategy and management consulting firm that offers professional services to corporations, governments, and other organizations. Founded in 1926 by James O. McKinse ...
, and corporate executive before entering politics, including as managing director of her mother
Carla Zampatti Carla Maria Zampatti , (19 May 1942 – 3 April 2021) was an Italian-born Australian fashion designer and businesswoman, and executive chair of the fashion label Carla Zampatti Limited. Background Born in Lovero, Italy in 1942, Zampatti se ...
's fashion label and CEO of education charity the Australian Business & Community Network (ABCN).


Early life and education

Allegra Spender was born in
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
on 10 March 1978. She is the daughter of former Liberal politician and diplomat
John Spender John Michael Spender (2 December 1935 – 13 October 2022) was an Australian politician, diplomat and barrister. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1980 to 1990, representing the Liberal Party, and was a shadow minister under ...
and fashion designer
Carla Zampatti Carla Maria Zampatti , (19 May 1942 – 3 April 2021) was an Italian-born Australian fashion designer and businesswoman, and executive chair of the fashion label Carla Zampatti Limited. Background Born in Lovero, Italy in 1942, Zampatti se ...
. Her grandfather, Sir Percy Spender, was a Liberal MP under Prime Minister
Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...
, a diplomat and the president of the
International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...
. Sir Percy was one of the key authors of both the ANZUS Treaty and the
Colombo Plan The Colombo Plan is a regional intergovernmental organization that began operations on 1 July 1951. The organization was conceived at an international conference, The Commonwealth Conference on Foreign Affairs held in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri ...
. Her grandmother was Lady Jean Spender, a novelist. Her sister is fashion designer Bianca Spender. Her half-brother is Alex Schuman. Spender attended
Ascham School Ascham School is an independent, non-denominational, day and boarding school for girls, located in Edgecliff, an Eastern Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1886, the school has a non-selective enrolment policy and c ...
, where she was
head girl The two Senior Prefects, individually called Head Boy (for the male), and Head Girl (for the female) are students who carry leadership roles and are responsible for representing the school's entire student body. Although mostly out of use, in some ...
and Dux, and achieved a UAI of 99.95. She received a BA in economics from the
University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
, where she was at
Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...
, and an MSc in organisational psychology at the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
.


Career

Spender started her career as a management consultant at
McKinsey & Company McKinsey & Company (informally McKinsey or McK) is an American multinational strategy and management consulting firm that offers professional services to corporations, governments, and other organizations. Founded in 1926 by James O. McKinse ...
before working as a policy analyst in the
UK Treasury His Majesty's Treasury (HM Treasury or HMT), and informally referred to as the Treasury, is the Government of the United Kingdom’s economic and finance ministry. The Treasury is responsible for public spending, financial services policy, taxa ...
. She later worked as a Change Leader at London's King's College Hospital and as a consultant in
Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
for
TechnoServe TechnoServe is an international nonprofit that promotes business services for poverty in the developing world. It is a registered 501(c)(3) based in Washington, D.C., with over 1,540 employees across 29 countries worldwide. History Early years ...
. Spender was the managing director for her mother's fashion label
Carla Zampatti Carla Maria Zampatti , (19 May 1942 – 3 April 2021) was an Italian-born Australian fashion designer and businesswoman, and executive chair of the fashion label Carla Zampatti Limited. Background Born in Lovero, Italy in 1942, Zampatti se ...
for 9 years. She was also the Chair of the Sydney Renewable Power Company and the CEO of the Australian Business & Community Network (ABCN), a social mobility charity that links students from low socio-economic schools and mentors from business. In early 2020 a local group of professional women established Voices of Wentworth. The group was concerned primarily with the Morrison government’s lack of evidence-based climate action, integrity in politics and record on supporting women. Voices of Wentworth was inspired by the impact of similar Voices groups in the electorates of Indi and Warringah. In 2021, Spender was approached by a separate group of locals “Wentworth Independents” who were seeking an
Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
candidate to run in the
division of Wentworth The Division of Wentworth is an Electorates of the Australian House of Representatives, Australian electoral division in the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales. The division encompasses the suburbs east of Sydney cen ...
at the
2022 Australian federal election The 2022 Australian federal election was held on Saturday, 21 May 2022, to elect members of the 47th Parliament of Australia. The incumbent Morrison government, Liberal–National Coalition government, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, soug ...
. The group wanted a woman with "deep local roots and an impressive CV" who shared the community's core beliefs on the need for more integrity in politics, action on
climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
and
gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...
. After initially declining the approach, Spender announced her intention to run in November 2021, citing government inaction on
climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
as one of the key reasons for her candidature. She defeated Liberal incumbent Dave Sharma with 54 percent of the two-party vote, becoming one of several community independents to unseat Liberal incumbents. The seat of Wentworth had previously been in the hands of the Liberals or their predecessors almost entirely since Federation.


Political views and career

Since her election in 2022, Spender's policy platform has focused on strong action on
climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
; economic reform; integrity in politics; and support for
gender equity Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...
, humanitarian treatment of refugees, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and action on
antisemitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
. During her first term, Spender was the co-chair of several parliamentary friendship groups, including the ''Parliamentary Friends of International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)'', the ''Parliamentary Friends of the
Uluru Statement from the Heart The ''Uluru Statement from the Heart'' is a 2017 petition to the people of Australia, written and endorsed by the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders selected as delegates to the First Nations National Constitutional Conv ...
'', the ''Parliamentary Friends of Tech and Innovation'', the ''Parliamentary Friends of Early Childhood'', the ''Parliamentary Friends of Entrepreneurs, Small and Medium Businesses'', the ''Parliamentary Friends of the
Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a Austral ...
'', and the ''Parliamentary Friends of Running''. Climate action Spender supports strong action on
climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
, campaigning in the
2022 Australian federal election The 2022 Australian federal election was held on Saturday, 21 May 2022, to elect members of the 47th Parliament of Australia. The incumbent Morrison government, Liberal–National Coalition government, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, soug ...
for a 50% reduction in Australian emissions by 2030 and bringing in vehicle emission standards to reduce transport emissions. In her first fortnight in parliament, Spender secured amendments to strengthen the Climate Change Act by requiring sector-by-sector assessments of emissions reduction policies. During the course of the 47th parliament, she also played a key role in successfully advocating for the introduction of fuel efficiency standards for new vehicles, funding to support household electrification, and greater private investment in nature protection. Tax reform Since entering parliament, Spender has also been a vocal advocate for economic and tax reform. She has twice addressed the National Press Club of Australia on economic policy issues, making the case for broad tax reform in January 2024 and for ‘economic reform from the sensible centre’ in October 2024. Spender has undertaken her own tax roundtable process during the 47th parliament, working with experts such as former Treasury secretary Ken Henry and ANU Tax and Transfer Policy Institute director Robert Breunig – as well as business groups, unions, and community groups. She has been outspoken in her support for lowering income taxes and replacing
stamp duty Stamp duty is a tax that is levied on single property purchases or documents (including, historically, the majority of legal documents such as cheques, receipts, military commissions, marriage licences and land transactions). Historically, a ...
with
land tax A land value tax (LVT) is a levy on the value of land without regard to buildings, personal property and other improvements upon it. Some economists favor LVT, arguing it does not cause economic inefficiency, and helps reduce economic inequali ...
. In her second National Press Club of Australia address in October 2024, Spender set out an economic reform agenda that included: (i) making it easier to do business by reducing red tape; (ii) ramping up innovation and investment in early stage companies; (iii) improving the integrity of government spending – especially infrastructure; and (iv) reforming the tax system. In late 2024 she released her own tax green paper into the Australian taxation system and lead a push to change the definition of a small business from one with 15 employees to 25 employees. Spender is a member of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics and the Joint Standing Committee on Migration. She has made significant additional contributions to reports made by the committees during the 47th parliament, including in relation to the ''Better Competition, Better Prices'' Inquiry and the ''Migration, Pathway to Nation Building'' Inquiry. Integrity in politics Spender has campaigned strongly on integrity – including the establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the improvement of behaviour in parliament. She has described Question Time as a “complete waste of time” labelling the practice as the “biggest disappointment” from her time in politics and criticising the behaviour in parliament as “unlike any workplace I’ve ever been in”. In October 2024, Spender resigned her membership of the Qantas Chairman's Lounge and the Virgin equivalent, saying it was time to end the practice of politicians accepting airline upgrades. Action on antisemitism As the representative of the largest Jewish community in Australia, Spender has been a vocal advocate for action on antisemitism giving 14 separate speeches in Parliament and speaking extensively in the media. Spender played a key role in advocating for the appointment of a ''Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism,'' helped to secure $8.5m for the
Sydney Jewish Museum The Sydney Jewish Museum is a history museum located in the Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst. It showcases exhibits relating to the Holocaust and the history and achievements of Jewish people in Australia. The Museum displays personal objects of H ...
and has worked closely with the Australasian Union of Jewish Students to combat antisemitism. On 4 February 2025, some 14 months after the infamous pro-Palestinian rally on 9 October 2023 in front of the Sydney Opera House where rally members chanted anti-semitic statements, Spender introduced a motion condemning antisemitism which was passed unanimously by the Australian Parliament. On the same day, she also introduced an amendment to expand hate crimes legislation to outlaw serious vilification. LQBTQIA+ inclusion Spender's electorate of Wentworth is also home to large LGBTQIA+ communities in Kings Cross,
Darlinghurst Darlinghurst is an inner-city suburb in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district (CBD) and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the Ci ...
, and
Paddington Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...
. When the Labor Government announced in August 2024 that it would not include questions on LGBTQIA+ identity in the next census, Spender was one of the leading advocates who successfully argued for the decision to be reversed and for LGBTQIA+ people to be counted. Voting record As of August 2024, Spender's record shows that she has supported 56% of votes called by the Coalition, 50% of votes called by the Labor Party, and 49% of votes called by the Greens. Writing Spender is a regular contributor to the
Australian Financial Review The ''Australian Financial Review'' (''AFR'') is an Australian compact daily newspaper with a focus on business, politics and economic affairs. The newspaper is based in Sydney, New South Wales, and has been published continuously since its foun ...
. Her articles have covered topics including productivity and innovation, migration, business dynamism, industrial relations, tax reform, the impact of independents in parliament, and the relationship between business and government. Spender has also written for outlets including The Australian, Renew Economy, and Women's Agenda. Community Engagement Spender was one of a number of community Independents, who campaigned during the
2022 Australian federal election The 2022 Australian federal election was held on Saturday, 21 May 2022, to elect members of the 47th Parliament of Australia. The incumbent Morrison government, Liberal–National Coalition government, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, soug ...
on “doing politics differently”. Since coming to office, she has reportedly held over 65 community events, featuring the likes of tax expert Ken Henry, renowned playwright
Suzie Miller Susan "Suzie" Miller (born ) is an Australian playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and lawyer. She has written over 40 plays, first coming to notice in 2008 for ''Reasonable Doubt'', which premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Her best-k ...
, investigative journalist and author
Jess Hill Jesse Terrill Hill (January 20, 1907 – August 31, 1993) was an American athlete, coach, and college athletics administrator who was best known for his tenure as a coach and athletic director at the University of Southern California (USC). His ...
, Professor
Tom Calma Thomas Edwin Calma (born 1953), is an Aboriginal Australian human rights and social justice campaigner, and 2023 senior Australian of the Year. He was the sixth chancellor of the University of Canberra (2014-2023), after two years as deputy ch ...
AO and Tim Buckley. She has also held events with younger local influencers such as Anjali Sharma, Lottie Dalziel, Hannah Ferguson, Chanel Contos and Ruby Langton Batty. In November 2022, Spender hosted Wentworth’s first ever
climate action Climate action (or climate change action) refers to a range of activities, mechanisms, policy instruments, and so forth that aim at reducing the severity of human-induced climate change and its impacts. "More climate action" is a central demand o ...
forum “Powering Wentworth to Net-Zero" at the newly renovated
Bondi Pavilion The Bondi Surf Pavilion in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, is an outstanding beach cultural icon of Australia, together with the beach, park and surf lifesaving club. The structure is listed on the NSW State Heritage Register 01786 as ...
in collaboration with Saul Griffith of Rewiring Australia and the Smart Energy Council. The event was moderated by local comedian
Dan Ilic Dan Ilic (born 20 November 1981) is an Australian presenter, comedian and filmmaker. Ilic has been known for his parody work, including videos and ''Beaconsfield: The Musical'', which he wrote, and more recently for his work on the show '' Hungr ...
. Bondi Junction stabbings On 13 April 2024, the Bondi Junction stabbings took place in Spender's electorate of Wentworth. Spender was a highly visible presence in the aftermath of the attacks, comforting local constituents at the site and leading tributes alongside Prime Minister
Anthony Albanese Anthony Norman Albanese ( or ; born 2 March 1963) is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022. He has been the Leaders of the Australian Labor Party#Leader, leader of the Labor Party si ...
and NSW Premier
Chris Minns Christopher John Minns (born 17 September 1979) is an Australian politician serving as the 47th and current premier of New South Wales since March 2023. He has been the leader of the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) si ...
. As editor of the Good Weekend, Katrina Strickland commented: ''“After the Bondi Junction stabbings in April, I, like thousands of others, felt compelled to lay flowers at the impromptu memorial that had sprung up in the nearby shopping centre. I found myself walking past regularly in the days that followed, bearing witness to the growing number of floral tributes, a life-affirming antidote to the darkness of the time. And here's the thing. More often than not, Allegra Spender was there. The member for Wentworth stood in that mall not just when the TV crews were buzzing but long after they’d gone, talking quietly with grieving constituents."'' Following the attacks, Spender joined with Elizabeth Young – the mother of Jade Young, one of the victims of the attack – to call for mental health reform across state, territory, and federal governments. 2025 Election Spender won the seat of Wentworth for a second time at the
2025 Australian federal election The 2025 Australian federal election was held on Saturday, 3 May 2025, to elect members of the 48th Parliament of Australia. All 150 seats in the Australian House of Representatives, House of Representatives were up for election, along with 40 ...
with an increased majority. She also succeeded in winning the primary vote.


Personal life

Spender has three children. , she lives in Darling Point in
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
and has properties in
Woollahra Woollahra ( ) is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is located east of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, local go ...
and Great Mackerel Beach in
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
. Spender is a regular runner, reportedly getting up at 5:30am during parliamentary sitting weeks to go running.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spender, Allegra Australian people of Italian descent Independent members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Wentworth Women members of the Australian House of Representatives Living people Politicians from Sydney Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge People educated at Ascham School 1978 births People from the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) 21st-century Australian businesswomen 21st-century Australian businesspeople Alumni of the University of London Australian MPs 2022–2025