“Responsible government has disappeared:” Allegra Spender on her battle for Wentworth

In many ways, independent candidate for Wentworth Allegra Spender could be accused of being born into politics.

If Spender is successful on Saturday, she would mark the third generation of Spender’s to enter federal parliament. Spender’s father, John Spender served as the member for North Sydney, while Spender’s grandfather Percy Spender served as the member for Warringah, and briefly as Treasurer, under the first Menzies government.

But in her quest to win the seat of Wentworth from Liberal MP Dave Sharma, Spender has not sought to emphasise her family history.

Spender has instead sought to pitch herself to Wentworth voters as a centrist independent who understands the priorities of the electorate. A candidate with business acumen and a desire to push for stronger climate action and the introduction of a federal integrity commission.

As part of a series on the climate-friendly independents that could have a strong influence on the next parliament, Spender has answered questions from RenewEconomy about her background and what she hopes to achieve by taking a seat in federal parliament.

What did you do before politics? What experiences do you have that would make you a good parliamentarian?

I’ve had a pretty diverse career.

Before I decided to run in Wentworth, I was CEO of the Australian Business Community Network, a network of 200 schools and 40 leading businesses. I worked with both senior business figures and some of the country’s most vulnerable students. I learnt a lot about building bridges between different communities through that job, and I also saw the value of education – with the right education, a child can do anything.

I was also Chair of the Sydney Renewable Power Company, which put solar panels on the International Convention Centre in what was at the time the largest solar array in an Australian city.

Other than that, I’ve been a policy adviser in the UK Treasury, a management consultant, and managing director of the family business.

I think that diversity of experience will help. I’ve worked across education, health, energy and business, and I’ll lessons from each with me.

What motivated you to put your hand up for politics as an independent candidate?

It was really COP26 that did it for me. I was waiting for the federal government to offer up climate policies that put us on track to a top of 1.5C warming, but that never happened.

The federal government still had Tony Abbott’s 2030 climate targets, it had failed to legislate a net zero target, and it was an international climate laggard at COP26. If the rest of the world had Tony Abbott’s targets, we would be on track for 3 degrees warming – which would be an unmitigated disaster.

There are other issues that motivated me too. We’re racing towards a trillion dollars in debt and the federal government keeps wasting extraordinary amounts of money on fossil fuel subsidies and grant programs designed to keep themselves in power.

There’s the failure to produce any sort of meaningful federal integrity commission. And there’s also the lack of compassion and kindness we’ve seen in politics over the past three years. Kerryn Phelps, who held Wentworth briefly, was incredibly effective in passing the medevac legislation that helped over 100 sick refugees and asylum seekers receive urgent medical treatment in Australia.

Dave Sharma, the incumbent, repealed that legislation against the community’s wishes even before he had made his maiden speech. And we still have politicians returning to cruel, divisive rhetoric against our LGBTQI+ community.

It’s clear my community is best represented by the crossbench, not the backbench. I decided to put my hand up because I believed responsible government had disappeared – and we needed to return to it.

What would you hope to achieve as an independent? Are you open to working with the major parties to form government? What issues are important to you in negotiations?

I won’t be pursuing a coalition with anyone. I am prepared to negotiate with either side based on the outcome of the election. But I will be voting on an issue-by-issue basis on what matters most to people of Wentworth. That’s the power of an independent.

I want to see a moderate, sensible, centrist government that is focused on governing for the long term. Australia works best when its policies are in the middle – and that’s what you’ll get with centrist independents who can get the job done. If you’ve got people on the fringes with the balance of power – like Barnaby Joyce does now – you don’t get good government.

In negotiations, I will get the best deal for the people of Wentworth. The community has been clear to me about what that looks like: strong climate action, a federal integrity commission, and a future-focused economy.

What do you see as lacking in the climate and energy policies of the major parties? What policies would you like to be put in place?

First and foremost, neither major party’s 2030 climate targets are good enough. To avoid the devastating effects outlined by the IPCC we need to keep warming below 1.5C, and to have a good chance of keeping warming below 1.5C, we need at least a 50% reduction on carbon emissions by 2030.

Both major parties are spending far too much on fossil fuel subsidies. We’re spending $11.6 billion a year on coal and gas when we should be investing in batteries, renewable energy, and hydrogen to take advantage of the clean energy boom and ensure our environment is protected for our children and grandchildren.

And neither major party supports vehicle emission standards. We are the only country in the OECD without them. As a result, car companies are selling their dirtiest cars here, rather than giving us the full choice in electric vehicles – there are three times as many options for electric vehicle buyers in the UK compared to Australia. Electric vehicles are cleaner, healthier, and cheaper in the long run – it’s time we encourage their uptake.

I would vote for Zali Steggall’s climate bills. Her plan gives business the certainty it needs to invest in confidence, while putting in place safeguards to de-politicise climate policy so we never return to the climate wars. Crucially, it gives us a chance to keep warming below 1.5C. 

Do you see yourself as a ‘climate’ independent, why is climate change a priority issue for you?

Climate is certainly an important part of why I’m standing. But it’s not just about climate for me.

It’s time for real action on integrity. We’re racing towards a trillion dollars of debt, yet both major parties are still wasting billions of dollars on programs designed to save marginal seats, rather than advance the country. And we’re no closer to a Federal Integrity Commission with teeth than we were three years ago.

And I’m campaigning hard for a future-focused economy. We need a plan for long term prosperity. Our money should be spent unlocking productivity and driving inclusive growth and innovation. Our taxation system is complex and not set up to deliver the productivity gains our future prosperity depends on. I will support a wide-ranging tax review to create an efficient and transparent system that encourages investment.

The urgency of climate change, and its effects if we don’t act now, are what makes it such a crucial issue for my community and me this federal election. We need to act decisively in the next ten years if we are to avoid the devastating environmental effects of climate change.

What about electric vehicles? Do you support increased uptake, and what policies would you like to see implemented?

I absolutely support an increased uptake in electric vehicles.

Running an EV costs less than one-third the equivalent petrol car, with much lower fuel costs and service costs. The problem is that EVs are so expensive to buy in Australia now, if you can find one, all due to government policies that can be fixed.

As I said above, the first thing we have to do is do what almost every other developed country does – introduce proper emission standards, so that it is harder to sell old heavy-emitting vehicles. The UK, Europe, even the US does this. Because we don’t, car makers keep selling their old technology cars here, while new low-emission models are sold into Europe and North America. That’s why Europe has a choice of almost 200 EV models, while we have just 31, less than half of which are below $65,000.

We need the emissions standards to give Australian families and businesses the same choice, availability and affordability of EVs that the rest of the world enjoys.

Investing in physical charging infrastructure will also help, particularly on major highways and in shopping centre and work carparks, so that drivers can go wherever they need to go. And we should consider supporting State government initiatives to reduce the upfront price of EVs, by exempting them from duties and taxes.

Sixty per cent of Wentworth residents live in strata dwellings – for us, changing building regulations to allow the building of chargers is essential. A lot of us just don’t have driveways or garages. The federal, state and local governments should work closely to make sure those regulations are keeping up with consumer demands for electric vehicles.

Do you own/drive an EV? If yes, which type?

I drive a Toyota Prius – a hybrid – and our family has a diesel car, too. The reason I don’t have an electric vehicle is we live in a strata building with no driveway or garage, so would struggle to put an electric vehicle charger in. It’s a good reminder we need to take a serious look at building regulations so that people living in apartments and terraces can readily charge electric vehicles.

Outside of the issue of climate change, what is your highest policy priority?

It’s worth noting that climate change affects more than just the environment. Australia is blessed with the best renewable energy resources in the world, and we have the most to gain by transitioning to a clean energy economy. Climate change is a health crisis. It’s also a national security threat. I attended a fuel security summit with Chris Barrie, the former chief of our defence forces, who said that climate change was Australia’s single biggest security threat right now.

Outside of climate change, we need a federal integrity commission. For a future-focused economy, we must tackle tax reform. And we must return to kind, compassionate politics – not the cruel, divisive politics both parties reach for too readily. I know that’s not one single priority. It’s hard to choose between them.

Read RenewEconomy’s interview with independent candidate for Goldstein, former ABC journalist Zoe Daniel, here.