Winners
Winners of the McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership are awarded in recognition of their outstanding achievements and exceptional leadership.
2021 Winners
Hon Tony Smith MP
McKinnon Political Leader of the Year
Mr Smith has been 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.
Cr Teresa Harding
McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year
Teresa Harding was awarded the 2021 McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year for her demonstrated achievements and commitment to transparency and public accountability in political institutions.
2020 Winners
Hon. Greg Hunt
McKinnon Political Leader of the Year
The Hon. Greg Hunt has been named the McKinnon Political Leader of the Year for 2020, recognised 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
Dr Anne Aly MP has been named the McKinnon EmergingPolitical Leader of the Year for her work in advocating to reduce violence against women and children and exposing extremist groups to greater government scrutiny.
2019 Winners
Premier Gladys Berejiklian
McKinnon Political Leader of the Year
Premier Berejiklian was named the McKinnon Political Leader of the Year for her outstanding leadership of New South Wales, 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
Lord Mayor Capp was named the 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.
2018 Winners
Senator Penny Wong
McKinnon Political Leader of the Year
Senator Penny Wong was named the 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
Senator Jordon Steele-John was named the McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year for his outstanding leadership on disability advocacy.
2017 Winners
Senator Dean Smith
McKinnon Political Leader of the Year
Senator Dean Smith was named the 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
Councillor Vonda Malone was named the McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year, for politicians with less than five years in office, for her outstanding leadership as Mayor of Torres Shire Council.
The McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership is a collaboration between the Susan McKinnon Foundation and the University of Melbourne.
