It's been just over one year since the 2025 election. Thank you so much for putting your trust in me to represent Wentworth.

It’s been a tough year for our community. I know there is still a lot of pain felt and more we need to do to heal, but through all of it, I've been reminded of how much this community cares for each other.

It’s important to remember there is a lot to be proud of too. Together we've achieved some big policy wins including:

• long overdue reform to Australia's environmental laws
• streaming services now required to invest in Australian stories
• 20,000 aged care packages finally released
• and the Treasurer listening to our community on not taxing unrealised gains in superannuation.

And the big one - tax reform is finally on the agenda, with reports that this week's budget may start to respond to some of the reform ideas I have put forward over the last three years.

None of this would be possible without your continued engagement and willingness to speak up on what matters. So, thank you - please keep the feedback coming.

The budget is a moment for serious ambition

Earlier this week I delivered the Freebairn Lecture at the University of Melbourne, with my address titled "Turning Luck into Pluck". Because Australia has long been called “a lucky country” - but luck is not a strategy. We are entering a world with many challenges ahead, and that requires serious ambition and genuine political courage from our government.

When I'm out in the community, I hear the same concerns repeatedly: cost of living pressures are relentless - consecutive interest rate hikes have made that clear - and community groups across Wentworth are struggling to keep up with growing demand from people who need the very basics like food and shelter. At my pop-up offices so many people - particularly young ones – are telling me they are doing everything right but just can't get ahead. Businesses are struggling and government red tape and bureaucracy is making it worse.

None of this is an accident - it is the result of years of policy failure. That's why this budget really matters. Here is what I want to see:

Targeted support for the most vulnerable. The budget must properly look after our most vulnerable in these difficult times. That includes funding food relief, legal assistance and community services already stretched to breaking point, better protections for renters including ensuring they are not left out of the clean-energy transition. It also means fully funding the Medical Research Future Fund which is critical as our population ages.

Spending restraint to reduce inflation. At 26.9% of GDP, government spending is at historical highs and is adding to inflation pressures. This budget needs to pull back on government spending and make sure every dollar is working as hard as possible – that means taking a hard look at infrastructure spending, the tax treatment of EVs, and ensuring the NDIS, which is a life-changing service for so many in our community, is put on a sustainable footing.

Tax reform that gives back to Australians. I'm pleased to see reports the government is considering tax reform in the personal income space and which I pushed in my Tax White Paper and potentially changes to support small business and start-ups. But if revenue raised just goes to the government to fund spending then the work is only half done. To help more Australians, regardless of their family backgrounds, build wealth then any money raised can’t just go to spending. And the government must listen to concerns of the start-up industry and ensure that any changes don’t reduce incentives to start and invest in our most productive businesses. I will also keep pushing for serious reform to gas and resource taxation – an issue I know matters deeply to our community - and continue to work on how we can reform company taxation to drive more business investment.

Long-term reform for productivity growth. Without productivity growth we cannot grow prosperity. The budget must lay the groundwork for reforms that will actually lift living standards for the next generation. That includes speeding up government decision-making and reducing red tape, making sure migrants can actually use their skills in the industries they got skilled visas for, delivering the clean-energy transition at lowest cost and reducing costs in housing construction.

This budget is likely to contain significant changes that will impact the community – so I want to hear from you. Please come along to my free Zoom webinar on Wednesday 13^th May to unpack the budget and ask your questions. RSVP here.

Your thoughts on Victoria Barracks

Thank you to the more than 600 of you who filled out my survey on the potential divestment of Victoria Barracks. Please see some of the survey results below:

I took these results to the community information session at Paddo RSL and the key stakeholders meeting on Friday 8th May.

The community feedback is clear and was reinforced by the conversations that were had at the stakeholder roundtable. We are sceptical that the site should be divested from Defence at all, and if it is divested, very clear that at least the vast majority of this unique site should remain in public hands, for broad community benefit. These are the issues I will be fighting for.

Update on the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion

On 30 April, the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion released their Interim Report - you can read it here.

I'm pleased the government has adopted its recommendations in full. I urge all state police forces to provide security at high-risk Jewish festivals and events, and will keep pushing for all states and territories to implement the gun buyback scheme. Next weeks’ budget must also fund security for Jewish institutions including schools and synagogues.

This is just an interim report - there are still many critical issues to be addressed in the full report, which I will be paying close attention to.

The Royal Commission has recently extended the deadline for public submissions to 14^th June 2026. If you have an experience you are willing to share, I encourage you to make a submission. You can do so confidentially. Click here for more info.

If you want legal support before making a submission, you can contact:

• National Legal Aid - call 1800 976 198 or click here for more info.
• Jewish Centre for Law and Justice – click here for more info

Community News

Holding Light - Bondi Pavilion

I was grateful to attend the opening of Holding Light at Bondi Pavilion - an exhibition bringing together 29 curated Jewish and non-Jewish creatives in response to the Bondi tragedy. The exhibition closes on June 28^th and I really encourage the community to attend. Thank you to Rabbi Alon Meltzer and the Shalom Collective team for bringing this exhibition together.

Support for small businesses in Bondi

Last week I was pleased to attend a workshop run by the Bondi Chamber of Commerce, with a presentation from the NSW Small Business Commission.

Many small businesses in our area are still feeling the impacts of the Bondi attack, so please know that continued support is available. You can either call 13 77 88 or visit service.nsw.gov.au/business for more information.

Aus Endo Foundation - Youth Advisory Committee

I recently met with Milli Weaver - NSW Young Woman of the Year 2026 - who founded the Australian Endometriosis Foundation. Right now, Aus Endo is inviting young Australians aged 18-35 with lived experience of endometriosis to apply for the Youth Advisory Committee. Applications close 19 May - apply here.

Come to the Brave Conversations Interactive Workshop

How do we talk to each other about the things that matter most - when those conversations feel hardest to have?

I am so excited for our upcoming event with Dr Farid Zaid and Dr Daniel Heller from the Brave Conversations Project, based at Monash University. This interactive workshop will explore the science and practice of constructive disagreement and give you practical tools to take to your workplaces, dinner tables and gatherings. This is about how we can, and must, have better conversations about the hardest issues of our time.

This is a free event – but RSVPs are essential. Click here for more info.

Upcoming Events

• Post-Budget Community Zoom - Wednesday 14 May. Join me to debrief on the 2026 Federal Budget. RSVP here.
• Brave Conversations - Tuesday 20 May. An interactive workshop with the Brave Conversations Project from Monash University. RSVP here.
• Grants Workshop - Wednesday 11 June. Our office is holding a free grant writing workshop run by Keith Whelan from The Grants Guy. RSVP here.

Thank you as always for your ongoing engagement. If you have any questions, concerns or feedback, please get in touch.

Warmest,

Allegra Spender MP