I'm Allegra Spender, the Independent Member for Wentworth.
As an Independent, my priority is to stand up for your values, and be your voice in Canberra. I'm accountable to you, not a political party.
I'm fighting to build a smarter economy, create a kinder community, and accelerate climate action.
As an Independent, I’m accountable to you - not a political party. That means I’m free to work with both sides of politics to deliver what’s right for our community. As an Independent, I always put our community first.
I deliver for the community in three ways:
As an Independent, I can stand up on the tough issues the major parties are too scared to talk about. I’m also free to think about the long-term, not just the next election. That’s why I released my Tax Green Paper, which sets out the urgent need to reform our tax system, starting with lowering income taxes so young people can get ahead.
I’m interested in good policy, not politics. That’s why I’ll work constructively with anyone across the Parliament to try and make our laws better. Like amendments that me and other crossbenchers put forward to the Safeguard Mechanism, which significantly strengthened laws which reduce emissions from Australia’s biggest polluters.
Every time I vote, I do so based on the values of people in Wentworth. I listen to the experts, consult with our community, and decide things on an issue-by-issue basis. That’s not something that MPs from the major parties can say – they vote based on what party bosses tell them to do.
When the parties have called a vote on a new law or a parliamentary motion, this is how often I’ve supported it - 
There’s a lot of misinformation out there. See every vote I’ve cast on my voting record
Most people in Canberra believe talking tax is dangerous – instead only talking about the easy stuff, the band-aids, and the short-term fixes.
I have published a Tax Green Paper that you can read and share your feedback on. Here's what people in the media are saying -
'Be brave': new push to save tax reform from extinction
"Nothing difficult gets accomplished without a strong, compelling narrative, without political leadership that brings the community along... This green paper is a step to building that narrative."
- Dr Ken Henry, The Canberra Times
Why tax reform is the national debate we can no longer afford to avoid
"Of the more than 1200 MPs to have sat in parliament since federation, Spender is the first non-government representative to have waded so deep into the issue and published something so consequential, considered and ground-breaking."
- Shane Wright, The Sydney Morning Herald
The Tax Institute welcomes tax reform back into the spotlight with release of Tax Green Paper
"We congratulate Allegra for her team's continued work in this area, and her passion for keeping the issue at the front of people's minds in a time when the courage to do this has been missing in many politicians."
- The Tax Institute
