Ahead of the 2025 federal election, QNews meets Member for Wentworth Allegra Spender, who embodies the teal movement and its freedom from two-party politics. Interview by Peter Hackney.
Australia’s teal independents are exactly that: independents. As such, they don’t have a leader.
But if they did, the logical choice would be Zali Steggall – the ‘original teal’ who wrested the seat of Warringah from Tony Abbott in 2019 – or the woman sitting in front of QNews at her electoral office in Edgecliff: Allegra Spender.
Member for the Division of Wentworth since 21 May 2022, Spender is, in many ways, the perfect politician. Eloquent and photogenic, she exudes warmth and friendliness but leaves you in no doubt she’s up for the rough and tumble of federal politics.
Like all seven teals currently holding office federally, she’s a centrist, giving her the capacity to understand and represent constituents from both sides of the political spectrum.
Non-binary politics
Spender’s position on the political spectrum, encompassing elements of both left and right, reflects Wentworth itself, an electorate that features harsh inner-city deprivation, as well as five of Australia’s ten richest postcodes.
It contains over 500 social housing homes in Woolloomooloo as well as the richest street in the nation: Wolseley Road, Point Piper, where the median house price is $45 million.
Spender says her independence means she can engage with her wildly diverse constituents in a meaningful way, without having to tow party lines.
“When I talk to people, it’s clear their views are quite nuanced – but when you only have two choices, it creates division and false dichotomies,” she tells QNews.
“One of the things people say to me is, ‘Before this, we didn’t have a choice.’ I think that’s important for so many people. They haven’t had a choice: it was red or blue, left or right, or nothing.
“Being outside that means you can genuinely consult with people. You can take each issue on its own merits and engage with your constituents, and listen and think without having to consider, ‘What does my party think about this?’
Allegra Spender says her independence means she can engage with her diverse constituents in a meaningful way. Photo: supplied.‘An accountability mechanism’
Asked for examples, Spender immediately gives two: relief on HECS/HELP debt indexation and the recognition of LGBTQIA+ people in the Australian census.
“One of the big issues at a local level has been HECS debts for young people,” she says.
“I was seeing so many kids, young adults, who said, ‘Look, I’m trying to save to buy and apartment. My HECs debt’s just gone up seven per cent. My wage hasn’t gone up seven per cent and I thought this was meant to be an interest-free loan.’”
After a solid year working as part of the crossbench, the government caved to the demands of Spender and her colleagues, with HECs debts now pegged to the lower of the Consumer Price Index and the Wage Price Index.
The reform, backdated to 2023, wiped out $3 billion in debt, benefitting over three million Australians.
On the issue of collecting census data on LGBTQIA+ people, Spender says: “Frankly, the government squibbed and lost their nerve. And the Liberals were never going to be the people who stood up for this, so it just needed somebody else to step up and say, ‘You know what? Stop being so afraid. This is not a big issue. These are values that our community backs.’
“Labor was jumping at shadows. And the opposition didn’t make such a big thing of it in the end.
“I see myself as an accountability mechanism in the parliament,” she says. “Someone who can hold the government to account but who doesn’t oppose things for the sake of it, as any party in opposition tends to do.”
Small ‘l’ liberal
This modus operandi has seen Spender disparaged as both a “Labor party stooge” and a “Liberal-lite” MP.
Asked about these descriptions, Spender replies: “I’m a pragmatist. I’ve worked across the parliament on different issues. I’ve worked with the Coalition on industrial relations issues, I’ve worked with others on other issues.”
Pushed to further clarify her politics, she responds: “I would call myself a small ‘l’ liberal. I’m economically pretty conservative. I think the way to build prosperity is through the private sector, with government putting in appropriate guardrails and safety nets.
“I would also say that I’m socially very liberal in the sense that I think it’s up to people to run their own lives. It’s not my job to tell them how to do that.”
Although economically conservative, Allegra Spender says she is “socially very liberal”. She is pictured in the 2023 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade. Photo: supplied.Dutton at the door
If the polls are correct, 2025 will be a very tight election. There’s every chance neither party will win 75 seats outright and will have to call on the support of independents to form government.
Last month, in an interview with Karl Stefanovic on Channel Nine’s 60 Minutes, opposition leader Peter Dutton named Allegra Spender as one of three independents he’d tap if neither party reaches the magic number of 75 (the other two independents being Bob Katter and Dai Le).
The prospect worries the more socially liberal of Spender’s constituents, especially among the LGBTQIA+ community. In parliament, Dutton has consistently opposed increasing legal protections for LGBTQIA+ people and was against marriage equality.
When asked outright if she’d support Dutton if it came to the crunch, Spender’s response is perhaps best summarised as ‘it depends’.
“Firstly, we’ve got to have stable government. And so, I will look at the numbers, I will look at what the crossbench looks like, I’ll look at the parliament and I’ll work with others,” she says.
She adds that, as an independent, “I’ll always stand up for the values of our community, regardless of who is in government. My priorities are climate action, building a smarter economy and creating a kinder community, including standing up for the LGBTQIA+ community.”
Regardless of who becomes the next Prime Minister of Australia, the 14th Member for Wentworth makes one promise: “On an issue-by-issue basis, I’ll continue to vote and advocate and legislate on the basis of what’s important to this community. I’ll continue to push the issues that my community tell me are important.”
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She is just another extreme feminist who will only represent the Gay and lesbian community and throw Trans and gender diverse people out.
The Teals (Not Transgender friendly or welcoming) anti-trans, from policy point of view)) do not stand up for nor represent Trans and GD communities and is playing the card for Dutton and Trump- (USA president) in only going after Transgender people and protecting the gay and lesbian power vote.