Through the Years - McKinnon Prize

In Australia, we tend to be good at pointing out what we don't like about our leaders.

However, we believe it is vital to identify, honour and engage in conversation about the admirable qualities and accomplishments of outstanding leadership. That is what the McKinnon Prize seeks to do.

The McKinnon Prize is a rare opportunity to recognise outstanding Australian political leadership, providing a crucial and constructive counterbalance to widespread cynicsm.

2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017

2023

Recipients

Senator David Pocock

McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year

Senator David Pocock of the ACT has been named McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year 2023 for his values-driven approach to handling his balance of power position in the Senate and commitment to genuinely listening to and appraising competing perspectives.  Senator Pocock was also shortlisted in 2022 for McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year.

Bridget Archer MP

McKinnon Political Leader of the Year - Federal

Bridget Archer MP, Federal Member for Bass, has been named the 2023 Federal Political Leader of the Year for consistently demonstrating rare courage in standing up for her principles and the interests of her constituents, even when this has put her at odds with her party. Bridget Archer was also shortlisted in 2022 for McKinnon Political Leader of the Year.

Premier Chris Minns and Premier Dominic Perrottet

McKinnon Political Leader of the Year - State and Territory

The Hon. Chris Minns MP, Premier of NSW and The Hon. Dominic Perrottet MP, former Premier of NSW, have been named joint recipients of the first McKinnon Prize for State/Territory Political Leader of the Year, for their civil conduct and respectful leadership during the 2023 State Election Campaign.

Selection Panel

Dr Martin Parkinson AC PSM (Chair)

Chancellor of Macquarie University

Luke Achterstraat

CEO of the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA)

Peta Credlin AO

Political Commentator at Sky News Australia

Georgie Harman

Chief Executive Officer, Beyond Blue

Dr Alan Finkel AC

Chair of Stile Education, Chair of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Quantum Biotechnology

Tanya Hosch

Executive General Manager of Inclusion and Social Policy, Australian Football League

Patricia Karvelas

Host of RN Breakfast, ABC Radio

Prof. Renee Leon PSM

Vice Chancellor and President, Charles Sturt University

Cathy McGowan AO

Chair, AgriFutures

The Hon. Arthur Sinodinos AO

Partner & Chair of Australia Practice, The Asia Group

Ashleigh Streeter-Jones

Founder & CEO of Raise Our Voice Australia (ROVA)

David Thodey AO

Chairman, Xero and Ramsay Healthcare

The Hon Jay Weatherill AO

Director of Public Affairs, Minderoo Foundation

2022

Recipients

Senator the Hon Penny Wong

McKinnon Political Leader of the Year

Senator the Hon Penny Wong has been named the 2022 McKinnon Political Leader of the Year for her swift progress in re-setting Australia’s foreign policy agenda and restoring important bilateral relationships in a challenging geopolitical environment. Senator Wong is the only recipient to have been recognised twice, having been named the 2018 McKinnon Political Leader of the Year.

Dr Helen Haines MP

McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year

Dr Helen Haines MP has been named the 2022 McKinnon Emerging Leader of the Year for her commitment to integrity in politics, her dedication to serving her electorate and her considerable impact as a “community-driven” leader on the national stage.

2022 McKinnon Prize Recipient Video

Danielle Wood: A note from the Shortlisting Committee Chair

Good political leadership is critical if we are going to meet the daunting policy challenges confronting Australia. So, we should celebrate great leadership where we see it. That’s why I was delighted to chair the Shortlisting Committee for the 2022 McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership.

The Shortlisting Committee whittled down an impressive longlist of nominations from the public, business, and community groups to just six for the Political Leader of the Year award and five for the Emerging Political Leader of the Year prize.
You are unlikely to agree with the policies or politics of everyone on the shortlist. But I hope you will agree they have shown integrity, vision, capacity to collaborate, and above all changed the country for the better within their sphere.

Political Leader of the Year Shortlisted Nominees

Hon Anthony Albanese PM

31st Prime Minister of Australia

Bridget Archer MP

Member for Bass

Hon Linda Burney MP

Minister for Indigenous Australians

Alex Greenwich MP

Member for Sydney

Hon Matt Kean MP

Treasurer of New South Wales & Deputy Minister for Energy

Senator Hon Penny Wong

Minister for Foreign Affairs

Emerging Political Leader of the Year Shortlisted Nominees

Geraldine Atkinson & Marcus Stewart

Co-Chairs of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria

Dr Helen Haines MP

Member for Indi

Senator David Pocock

Senator for the ACT

The Teal Independents

Members of the House of Representatives

Cr Anthony Tran

Mayor of Maribyrnong City

Selection Panel

Catherine Livingstone AO FAA FTSE (Chair)

Chancellor of University of Technology Sydney

The Hon John Brumby AO

Former Premier of Victoria

Professor Tom Calma AO

Chancellor of University of Canberra

Peta Credlin AO

Political Commentator at Sky News Australia

Caitlin Figueiredo

Co-Chair of the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition

Dr Alan Finkel AC

Chair of Stile Education, Chair of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Quantum Biotechnology

The Hon Kelly O’Dwyer

former Cabinet Minister and member of the Australian Parliament

Dr Martin Parkinson AC PSM

Chancellor of Macquarie University

Annika Smethurst

State Political Editor at The Age

Doug Taylor

CEO of The Smith Family

Dr Julie Wells

Vice-President (Strategy and Culture) at The University of Melbourne

Shortlisting Committee

Danielle Wood (Chair)

CEO of the Grattan Institute

James Copsey

Partner at KPMG Australia

David Cross

CEO of Blueprint Institute

Patricia Karvelas

Host of RN Breakfast, ABC Radio National

Phillip Coorey

Political Editor at the Australian Financial Review

Ben Oquist

Director Climate and ESG at DPG Advisory Solutions

Michael Perusco

CEO of Berry Street

Nicholas Reece

Principal Fellow with Melbourne School of Government at The University of Melbourne

Innes Willox AM

Chief Executive of Australia Industry Group

John Scales

Founder of JWS Research

2021

Recipients

The Hon Tony Smith MP

McKinnon Political Leader of the Year 2021

The Hon Tony Smith MP was awarded the 2021 McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership for his work in consistently and impactfully upholding parliamentary standards and ensuring bipartisan accountability within the parliament.

Mayor Teresa Harding

McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year 2021

Mayor Teresa Harding was named the 2021 McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year for her work in improving transparency and public accountability in political institutions.

Watch the 2021 recipients of the McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership discuss their work and the role of political leaders.

Selection Panel

The Hon Julia Gillard AC

Former Prime Minister of Australia

The Hon Mike Baird AO

Former Premier of New South Wales

Dennis Richardson AC

Former Diplomat and Public Servant (Chair)

Robin Bishop

Founding Partner, BGH Capital

Professor Tom Calma AO, FAA

Chancellor, University of Canberra

Peta Credlin AO

Journalist

Caitlin Figueiredo

Co-Chair of the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition

Ronni Kahn AO

Founder, OzHarvest

Catherine Livingstone AO, FAA, FTSE

Chair of Commonwealth Bank

Katherine McConnell

Founder and CEO of Brighte

Annika Smethurst

Journalist

Dr Martin Parkinson AC, PSM

Chancellor, Macquarie University

Professor Michael Wesley

Deputy Vice-Chancellor, International, the University of Melbourne

2020

Recipients

The Hon Greg Hunt MP

McKinnon Political Leader of the Year 2020

The Hon Greg Hunt MP was named the 2020 McKinnon Political Leader of the Year for his leadership in spearheading Australia’s health response to the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020.

Dr Anne Aly MP

McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year 2020

Dr Anne Aly MP was named the 2020 McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year. She was recognised for her work in advocating to reduce violence against women and children and exposing extremist groups to greater government scrutiny.

Watch the 2020 recipients of the McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership discuss their work and the role of political leaders.

Selection Panel

The Hon Julia Gillard AC

Former Prime Minister of Australia

The Hon Mike Baird AO

Former Premier of New South Wales

Professor Jim McCluskey AO

Acting Provost, University of Melbourne

Leigh Clifford AC

Chairman, Bechtel Australia

Professor Megan Davis

Expert with the UN Human Rights Council's Expert Mechanism on the rights of Indigenous peoples

Nick Farr-Jones AM

Director of Taurus Funds Management Pty Ltd

Chris Kenny

Political commentator, author and former political adviser

Sabra Lane

Presenter, ABC Radio’s AM and President of the National Press Club of Australia

Catherine Livingstone AO, FAA, FTSE

Chairman of the Commonwealth Bank

Peter McNamara

Board Director of the Australian Council of Social Service

Sophie Oh

Co-Founder, Susan McKinnon Foundation

Lisa Paul AO, PSM

Former senior Australian public servant and policymaker

Yasmin Poole

Award-winning speaker, writer and youth advocate

2019

Recipients

Premier Gladys Berejiklian

McKinnon Political Leader of the Year 2019

Premier Gladys Berejiklian was named the McKinnon Political Leader of the Year for 2019. She was recognised for in her role as Premier and for her outstanding leadership of New South Wales. This was reflected in her balanced and empathetic handling of reproductive health reform, a strong economic and budget position, and record infrastructure expenditure.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp

McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year 2019

Lord Mayor Sally Capp was named the 2019 McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year for her outstanding leadership of the Melbourne City Council. In particular, she was noted for her stabilising presence in Town Hall, where she has fostered a high degree of consensus among councillors for advancing an impactful policy agenda.

Watch the 2019 recipients of the McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership discuss their work and the role of political leaders.

Selection Panel

The Hon Julia Gillard AC

Former Prime Minister of Australia

The Hon Mike Baird AO

Former Premier of New South Wales

Professor Mark Considine

Provost, University of Melbourne

Leigh Clifford AC

Chairman, Bechtel Australia

Peta Credlin AO

SKY News Political Anchor and News Corp National Columnist

Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston AK, AC, AFC

Former Chief of the Australian Defense Force

Laura John

National President of the United Nations Association of Australia’s Young Professionals Network

Sabra Lane

Presenter, ABC Radio’s AM and President of the National Press Club of Australia

Jack Manning Bancroft

Founder and CEO, AIME

Grant Rule

Co-Founder, Susan McKinnon Foundation

Kevin Sheedy AO

Former AFL premiership coach

Deidre Willmott

Former Chief Executive Officer, Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Western Australia

2018

Recipients

Senator Penny Wong

McKinnon Political Leader of the Year 2018

Senator Penny Wong was named the 2018 McKinnon Political Leader of the Year for her leadership and advocacy in promoting a more tolerant and inclusive Australia and for shaping Australia’s foreign policy dialogue.

Senator Jordon Steele-John

McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year 2018

Senator Jordon Steele-John was named the 2018 McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year for his outstanding leadership on disability advocacy.

Watch the 2018 recipients of the McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership discuss their work and the role of political leaders.

Selection Panel

The Hon Julia Gillard AC

Former Prime Minister of Australia

The Hon John Howard OM AC SSI

Former Prime Minister of Australia

Lisa Alexander AM

Head Coach, Australian Netball Team

Professor Mark Considine

Provost, University of Melbourne

Leigh Clifford AC

Former Chairman, Qantas Airways

Dr Mukesh Haikerwal

Former Federal President, Australian Medical Association

Chris Kenny

Associate Editor (National Affairs), The Australian

Dennis Richardson AC

Former Secretary, Department of Defence

Grant Rule

Co-Founder, Susan McKinnon Foundation

Dr Helen Szoke AO

Chief Executive, Oxfam

Laura Tingle

Chief Political Correspondent, 7.30

Jennifer Westacott AO

Chief Executive, Business Council of Australia

Sashenka Worsman

Chief Executive Officer, Oaktree

2017

Recipients

Senator Dean Smith

McKinnon Political Leader of the Year 2017

Senator Dean Smith was named the 2017 McKinnon Political Leader of the Year for tackling vital issues of public policy, overcoming adversity and achieving real change for the public good.

Councillor Vonda Malone

McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year 2017

Councillor Vonda Malone was named the 2017 McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year for her outstanding leadership as Mayor of Torres Shire Council.

Watch the 2017 recipients of the McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership discuss their work and the role of political leaders.